Loving You Against My Will II: Duo's Dilemma
by Avonnalay-Ariemay
Summary: Duo is in a rut. He and Hilde are brokenup, his boss is breathing down his neck, and his partner hasn't a sympathetic bone in his body. Things are horrid for the God of Death...and it isn't even 9AM yet!
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer-** It's not mine. Never was. The only characters I own are the ones that have never been seen/heard in the Gundam Wing series as of right now.

**A/N-** Hey everyone. I've started another fic, and I shouldn't be. But I have. Anyhow, this little plot bunny was running around in my head and I figured I'd get it down on paper before it completely got away from me.

Warning! This story is not friendly to the character known as Hilde. Duo will not -and I repeat- NOT wind up with Hilde in the end of this story. Just a warning for anyone who likes Hilde/Duo stories. This is not one of them. I personally like Hilde's character, but I didn't like it enough for this story.

**Description **- This story is set approximately onemonth after Loving You Against My Will, (about six years after Endless Waltz) another story that I have. It is not necessary to read that one before starting this one. The only thing you need to know is that Heero is back, and at Relena's side. Oh, and Hilde and Duo are having major relationship problems. That's about it.

Summary- Duo is in the dumps about his recent break up with Hilde. As a form of 'therapy' , Relena has him assigned as a personal body guard to her for the Peace Summit meeting. The meeting, which is taking place in New Orleans, Louisiana, is being called because there have been problems between some trade dignitaries from the colonies and Earth, resulting in fights breaking out in space. Once there, the Gundam group runs into problems, and the threats to Relena and Senator Kenneth Covington (the senator who Relena is staying with during the two month trip) start up. Things heat up in the Big Easy, and it isn't long before Heero and Duo discover that one of the senator's own daughters may very well be the one responsible for all the trouble.

Loving You Against My Will II: Duo's Dilemma

Chapter One

"MAXWELL! Get in here! Right NOW!" was the direct command that came across the intercom speaker box in the office where Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy worked at Preventor's Headquarters.

Duo, who had passed out on his desk due to a lack of sleep the night before (consequently caused by a night of binge drinking at the local bar), only grunted and reached out to hit the volume button on the thing that was making his headache hurt worse. Across the desk, Duo's partner and fellow Preventor, Heero Yuy, looked up from his computer screen to glance at the miserable young man. Duo was an utter mess. Hair all over the place, a green tinge on his skin, black circles under his eyes, and reeking of alcohol.

"Yuy!" barked Une's voice from the intercom on his desk.

"What?" Heero asked coldly.

"Is Maxwell in there with you?" the aggravated woman asked. Heero took one look at Duo's limp form and shook his head.

"No." he lied easily. "He left a few minutes ago." A colorful string of curses could be heard over the speaker, and Duo groaned when he heard his boss threatening to cut of his precious, prized braid. "Is there a problem?"

"Other than Maxwell, no everything is fine." the exasperated woman said. "He's been late every day for the past month. I can't make heads or tails out of his reports, and he keeps giving me the slip when I try to track him down!" Heero remained silent, waiting patiently for his bosses' tirade to end. "Yuy, when he shows in the morning, if he shows, send him directly to me. I don't care if you have to cuff him to you and drag him to my office, I want him in front of me in the morning? Is that understood?"

"Perfectly." Heero answered. Une gave a noncommittal reply and signed off. When Heero was sure that she was disconnected from the intercom system, he stood and walked over to where Duo was sleeping soundly, salivating on the paperwork he was supposed to be filling out. Heero once again shook his head, and pulled Duo's chair out from under him, causing the braided ex-pilot to fall to the ground in an ungraceful heap.

"Aww…Heero…" the young man whined, rubbing his butt with one hand and his aching head with the other. "What's the big idea?"

"Clear out." Heero answered. "Une's looking for you."

"Again?" Duo asked . "What for now?"

"To talk to you."

"About?"

"Your job performance, if I have my guess." Heero muttered.

"Is she coming down here, now?" Duo whined.

"She things you've left for the day." Heero said, shutting down his laptop and grabbing his Preventor's jacket from the back of his chair. "So get out, get to your place, and get some sleep. You've got to meet her first thing in the morning." the stoic ex-Wing Zero pilot turned to walk out the door of the office when duo stopped him again.

"Where ya goin', buddy?" he asked.

"My shift starts in twenty minutes." Heero said firmly, walking through the doors. Duo just frowned and rolled his eyes.

Heero had been working for the Preventors a little over a half-year now, and his main job was protecting Relena, the Vice-Foreign Minister. Ever since the Christmas before, when Duo had found them on Relena's balcony at the Peacecraft mansion a few days after the assasination attempt on Relena, Heero and the young woman had gotten closer and closer. Heero was later instated by Une as Relena's Head of Securtiy. And the young man watched over her like a hawk.

Although the threats died down, Heero still kept constant vigilance over her, morning and night.

"Lucky ass bastard!" Duo mumbled as he pulled himself out of the chair and towards the door to the office. It was almost time for him to get off, and thanks to Heero, he could get home and get some rest a little earlier.

It had seemed that when Heero and Relena's relationship had taken off his own with Hilde had floundered, eventually hitting rock bottom and leaving him in the state he was currently in, sleep deprived and hung over. Of course, seeing Heero happy with Relena had more than made up for it, at least for a long time.

His break up with Hilde had been nasty, and the talk of Preventors Headquarters for a few days. Duo had walked in on Hilde and a guy that worked at the scrap yard Hilde ran. They had been in a rather...compromising...situation. Needless to say, Duo had been so shocked, that it had left him speechless for a few moments. He had never though he and Hilde were in trouble, and never thought she would cheat on him. But when all she did was look at him and smile when she was caught, Duo lost it.

Hilde had been scheduled to work at Headquarters the next morning. And as soon as she came into the building, she had sought Duo out and apologized, saying that Keenan had gotten her drunk, and then took advantage of her in the inebriated state she was in. he had not believed the story, and Hilde had been angered beyond belief. By the time she was finished yelling, security had escorted her out of the building. That evening, Duo found out that she had turned in her gun and identification badge to her supervisor, and quit working for the Preventors.

It stayed like that for almostsix months. They were together, then separate, together again, and finally separate once more. Now, thanks to Hilde's last round of infidelity, Duo had called it quits for good. It had been a little over a month since the break up, and Duo had been drowning his sorrows in alcohol. He had loved Hilde dearly, and to see her do this to him over and over again, tore at his heart string. He may have been the legendary 'god of Death' at one time, killing his enemies that stood in his way, but he still had feelings, and Hilde had toyed with them enough. He had not fallen down to the level of an alcoholic, at least not yet. And he planned on keeping it that way.

He grabbed his keys to the Jeep he was assigned and left the office in a huff. Thinking about Hilde only made him angrier. And what he needed now was sleep. Une was going to grill him in the morning, and he needed all the rest he could get to face the drill-sergeant that was his boss.

Heero nodded to the green clad Preventor as he entered Relena's office, dismissing them. The woman and man saluted their superior and walked out, leaving Heero to watch as a flustered Relena argued with someone on the vidcam.

When the blonde headed young woman finally hung up with whoever she had been speaking with, Heero had taken up his customary position closest to the window that encompassed the entire back wall of the office.

"Having problems?" he asked.

"You have no idea." she answered. "My proposal for the Peace Summit meeting has been vetoes in committee. Which means I have to rewrite it completely before I leave."

"Why was it vetoed?" Heero asked.

"I don't know." Relena said. "Something about the trade commissions from the colonies getting completely out of order."

"That was Manuel Sanchez on the vidcam just now." Heero said. "What did he want?"

"To tell me that the proposal that been shot down." Relena said in disgust. "And if I know him, he was the one in the meeting that vetoed it. He was head of the committee that read over what I had proposed. Also, according to him, my suggestions for the mining contracts on the MJ309 asteroid, and the shipping-harbor agreements were 'utterly preposterous', as he so eloquently told me."

"They're not giving you very much time to write a new proposal, are they?" Heero asked. "The meeting begins next week."

"I know." Relena said, running a hand through her hair in annoyance. "I don't know. I'll figure something out between now and then." The young woman got up from the chair she had been sitting in and stretched out the kinks in her back. "Speaking of the Summit meetings, who have you added to the guard detail, other than yourself?"

"No one, yet." Heero answered. "I haven't filled out the roster yet. Maxwell has been acting up again, and I can't seem to get any work done while he is moaning and groaning about Schbieker." Relena frowned and shook her head.

"Is he still upset about what Hilde did?" Relena asked. Heero nodded and leaned up against the wall once again. "Can't exactly say that I blame him, of course."

"He can't seem to focus on anything. And Une is breathing down his neck." Heero said stoically. "He needs to snap out of this mess he's gotten himself into, and soon." Relena sat back down at her desk and cocked her head to one side.

"Why don't you put Duo on the guard duty for the meetings?" she asked. "He could come to the States with us."

"Maxwell?" Heero asked, looking down at her like she was crazy. "Why would I assign Maxwell to protect you when he can't even make it back to his apartment without getting into trouble?"

"I think it would help." she said, looking up at Heero. "It'll do him some good to get out of the country and away from Headquarters for a few weeks. It'll be like therapy to show him that just because he and Hilde are not together anymore, he can still go out and live a little."

"He doesn't need to be 'living a little' while he has a job to do, Relena." Heero said firmly. "There is no point in assigning him to protect you if he's going to mope and not do his job. We can't risk you getting hurt." Relena sighed and stood up, walking over to Heero, a small smile on her face. She stood right in front of him and folded her arms.

"Heero." she asked. "Please. Do this for me. Duo is a good friend, and I hate to see him so bogged down in the dumps because he's depressed over Hilde."

"Relena…"

"Look." she said firmly. "Duo has never let any of us down before. You know he always, always comes through when he has a serious job to do, or anything that remotely resembled keeping me safe. Please, Heero. I think it'll help." The ex-pilot sighed and shook his head. He could not tell Relena 'no'. He'd tried it ever since he'd come back, and it never worked.

"Une's not going to like this." he said finally. "She's ready to crawl him for letting his work get so far behind as it is."

"I'll get a hold of Lady Une and take care of that." Relena said. "I just need your okay. I know you think Duo may screw up, but I think it'll help his self-esteem, knowing that even now someone trusts him enough to ask for his assistance."

"If that's what you want." Heero said, not easily conceding defeat to her. "I'll tell Une first thing in the morning."

"After she gets done chewing Duo out?" Relena asked. "That's not going to help, Heero."

"I'll talk to her before Maxwell ever gets there." Heero answered, which resulted in Relena smiling broadly at him.

"Good." she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, which in turn made Heero give a half smile. "I'm sure Duo will pull through. And being away from this place may very well be the key to his getting out of the dumps of depression."

...-

A/N- Okay, that's the beginning. Poor Duo…I really overdid it a bit, didn't I? huggles Duo plushie It's okay. I'll make things all better. I promise.

Well, what do you guys and gals think? Good? Bad? Needs work? Scrap it? Remember to leave me a review, telling me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer - It's not mine. Never was. The only thing I own are the new characters that are about to be introduced into the story this chapter.  
  
A/N - I'm so glad that this story seems to appeal to at least a few people. Lots of thanks to everyone who reviewed. The comments have helped a great deal.  
  
Special thanks to:  
  
Ally127 - I'm glad you like it. And thanks for the review. It's much appreciated.  
  
Ryla- Looking forward to hearing from you later. Hope you enjoy.  
  
Anime Gal4- Well, long time no see! J I'm glad to see that you're reading another of my stories. It is really refreshing knowing that you are taking a chance on another of my attempts at a story. Anyhow, I plan on a few more fluff moments for Heero and Relena. I still don't think my attempts at fluff are very good…but I'll try my best. As for your idea on Heero taking him out for a while, I'm actually going to use that in the story. I've already got it worked into the plot! I'm glad you mentioned it. Hope you like the new chapter. Thanks again. J  
  
IMPORTANT! A WEEK HAS PASSED SINCE THE LAST CHAPTER!!  
  
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Duo's Dilemma  
  
Chapter 2  
  
The flight to the States was quite peaceful and relaxing for all the occupants of the plane. Heero had relented to Relena's pleading and allowed Duo to accompany the Vice Foreign Minister of Affairs to the Peace Summit meetings, which seemed to pull the young man out of the slump he had been in, at least temporarily. Une had threatened him to within an inch of his life if anything happened to Relena, and Duo seemed to take it to heart. Heero, ever the precautious one when Relena was concerned, also assigned Wufei Chang to the security detail. Wufei, who had recently been at ends with his own better half -also known as Sally Po- was ready to leave headquarters for a while, and held no argument with Heero about the appointment.  
  
After the plane had leveled in the sky after take-off, Relena immersed herself in a large amount of paperwork she had brought with her. Meanwhile, her bodyguards for the trip had pulled the files on the host family they would be staying with for the duration of the meeting. Heero had just gotten the files before taking off, and had not had a chance to go over them and find out more about the Senator and his family. He pulled out the four folders from his laptop case and handed one to each of the other men present.  
  
"What have we got?" Duo asked, stretching out in a chair as he took the folders proffered from his partner's hands. The name across the top read   
  
Belladonna Saucier.  
  
"Read and find out." Heero said simply. "I just got the files before we left." The other two men nodded and began flipping through the information present in the folders. After a few minutes, they finished and looked back at one another.  
  
"So," Duo asked again. "What have we got?"  
  
"Covington's got two kids and a wife." Heero said, passing the folder he had to Wufei and Duo to look at. "He's a staunch supporter of the colonies' right to self govern, and has been working with colony delegates since the end of the war to improve relations. Seems clean enough. "  
  
"His youngest kid is Marguerite Covington." Duo said, handing his partner the folder he had read over. "Age: 21. She's a public speaker, and the Public Rally Organizer for her pops. She's got a house not far away from her pop's plantation home."   
  
"How clean is her record?" Heero asked.   
  
"Kind of sketchy." Duo muttered. "She was recently subpoenaed by the State Court of Louisiana to appear on trial for possibility that she knew about on embezzlement scandal going on in the city's higher official positions. Apparently, she was cleared of any and all charges and set free. She's been suspected of having some underground dealings with some other shady political figures before that, but nothing has ever come to it. She's always managed to keep a relatively clean rep, though." Heero nodded and looked towards Wufei for his input.  
  
"His wife is a political adviser to the Senate chairman." Wufei said. "Nothing out of the ordinary concerning her. She stays at home most of the time while the Senate is not in session and runs a small plant nursery on the side."  
  
"And his other daughter?" Heero asked. "The oldest one."  
  
"Belladonna Saucier." Duo said, opening the folder and handing it to his superior. "Seems like a busy little lady. She's the owner and CEO of Saucier Corporation, the company responsible for most of the space mining done around the colonies and in deep space. The company is also responsible for the shipping and refining of the materials mined from asteroids and natural resource satellites. It recently got a grant from the U.S. government to start researching the properties and uses of the metalloids minded from the X1-324 sector.  
  
Apparently, she's the illegitimate child of Covington and a woman by the name of Cynthia Saucier that worked for the Alliance right before the war broke out. She stayed with her mom up until about six years ago, when the woman was killed. Covington took her in after that and raised her.   
  
She eventually moved out and has a residence on the outskirts of New Orleans, as well as one on the main colony of L-2. She changed her name back to her mother's maiden name during the war. Her rep's clean."   
  
Heero looked at the folder and frowned. He knew that name from somewhere. He flipped through the pages and pages of information that detailed the goings and comings of the woman's thriving company. Seemed like she was a supporter of the colonies' rights to self govern, just like her father. But he also immediately noticed that the eldest Covington daughter had more ties to space and the colonies than the rest of her family.  
  
One of the papers in the folder was a list of the charity foundations the company donated to. Most of them were listed as orphanages on the colonies that had taken in children orphaned during the war. It seemed like she had a particular attachment to the Benelli orphanage on the main colony of L-2. He stopped on the page and read the contents, finally finding out why her name sounded somewhat familiar.  
  
"She went to St. Gabriel's before the war." he said, seeing a picture of a smirking, short haired fifteen year old girl in front of the St. Gabriel's school. "Maybe Relena knows her."  
  
"Worth a shot to ask." Duo said lazily, looking over his shoulder to where Relena was immersed in her work. "Hey, Princess! Come here for a sec!" Relena looked back at the Preventors and nodded, putting her paperwork down and going to the back of the plane.  
  
"Yes, Duo?" she asked.  
  
"One of Covington's daughters went to St. Gabriel's. A chick named Belladonna Saucier. Ring any bells?"  
  
"There was a girl named Bella Covington, come to think of it." Relena answered. "But her last name wasn't Saucier."  
  
"This woman look familiar?" Heero asked, passing Relena the folder containing the pictures and information on the young CEO. Relena took one look at the picture and smiled, recognizing her old friend immediately.  
  
"That's her alright." the Vice Foreign Minister said. "I'd know her anywhere. We were friends when I went to St. Gabriel's. But, I didn't know Senator Covington was her father. She told me that her mother worked with the Alliance, but she very seldom had contact with her father, or so I thought. I lost contact with her when the war started and I was pulled out of St. Gabriel's."  
  
"She changed her name during the war." Wufei said stoically. "While she was in school, she took her father's name. But she apparently reverted to her mother's maiden name when her mother was killed during the war."   
  
"Is she going to be at the Peace Summit?" Relena asked. "It will be good to see her again."  
  
"She's supposed to be speaking on the trade and harbor agreements." Heero said, checking the official schedule he had been sent by the U.S. Preventors branch that was ensuring the safety of the dignitaries on their way to the discussions. "You are likely to run into her at some point in time." Relena only nodded and smiled.   
  
"That's good. Bella was always the one who kept things lively at school." she said. "I know she stayed in trouble with the teachers more than any of the rest of us girls. She was a good student though, especially in the science and math areas. Although her smart mouth did wind up landing her in detention often enough." Relena chuckled at the memory of the antics of the young girl. "Anything else you need?"  
  
"No. That's it." Heero said. "You can go back to your work now."  
  
"It's alright." Relena said. "Bother me anytime you need to." The young woman stood from her position and walked back to her seat in the front of the plane.  
  
"It seems like the family members have a relatively clean background." Wufei commented. "What about security measures once we get there?"  
  
"The house Covington lives in is extensive." Heero said, pulling up a set of floor plans for the large house. "It is an old two story plantation house, built long before the colonies were ever thought about. There is a cellar and an attic, which totals four different levels all together. There is a number of smaller buildings near the main house. All of them have been refurbished and refinished, but they still cover a large area."  
  
"The surrounding area is varied." Wufei muttered, looking at the house plans and the surrounding terrain. "There is a swamp to the west of the house, a river to the north, and a forest to the east."  
  
"The only road is the highway, which runs in front of it." Duo said. "What a place to have a house."  
  
"Covington and his family won't have Preventors at their house because Relena brought us along." Heero said, going into leader mode. "There are four different entrances into the house………."  
  
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By the time Relena's plane landed in the New Orleans airport the next morning, the occupants were suffering from a bad case of jetlag. The private landing strip was not very busy in the Saturday morning sunlight, and the Preventors immediately noticed that there was a limo waiting at the end of the airstrip for them. When they were all out of the plane, a young man came forward and shook hands with Relena.  
  
"Mr. Covington and his daughter are waiting on you, Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian." he said. "We'll bring your bags and belongings to the limo as soon as we get them unloaded." Relena thanked the young man and walked next to the Preventors. The limo, which had apparently been waiting for their arrival, started up and drove towards them.   
  
When the black car stopped, a man in his early forties stepped out, followed by a young woman in her early twenties. The three Preventors immediately recognized them as Senator Kenneth Covington and his youngest daughter, Marguerite. The man smiled at Relena and walked around the car towards them, his graying-black hair being tossed by the wind on the airstrip. He was dressed in black slacks and a gray button down shirt. Even though it was early in the morning, he seemed to be full of energy and life.   
  
The young woman was at his side, and followed him. She seemed a little more reserved, and formal. Dressed in a pair of white pants and a blue blouse, she seemed to exude class and manners. Her black hair was gathered up in a bun at the nape of her neck, and her brown eyes looked over the newcomers warily. She pasted a smile on her face and waited to be introduced to the newcomers as her father welcomed them.  
  
"Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian," he said warmly. "It is good to see you again. I hope your flight was well."  
  
"It is good to see you as well, Senator Covington. But please, just call me Relena." Relena said, shaking hands with the man. "I trust your family is well?"   
  
"Please, call me Kenneth, then." he chuckled. "And yes, the family is well. In fact, this is my daughter Marguerite. She decided to come with me to get you all this morning."  
  
"How do you do?" Marguerite said, shaking hands with Relena. "I've heard a great deal about you, Ms. Dorlian."  
  
"And I of you." Relena said politely. "Kenneth, Ms. Covington, these are the Preventors who will be staying with me the duration of the Summit meetings." Relena gestured to each of them in turn and smiled. "Duo Maxwell, Wufei Chang, and Heero Yuy. Three of the headquarters' best men."  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Marguerite said, smiling at the three green clad men. "I hope you like it here."  
  
"Likewise, Ms. Covington." Heero said monotonously.   
  
"Well, let's get going." Senator Covington said. "I'm sure you guys would like to get some sleep. Jetlag is the one part of traveling I hate the most."  
  
"Have all of Ms. Dorlian's and the Preventor's belongings been transferred to the limo?" Marguerite asked one of the attendants coming out of the plane.  
  
"Yes, Ms. Covington." he said. "They're ready to go."  
  
"Thank you." she said, turning back to them. "We're ready to go when you are."   
  
"Let's go then." the older man said. "No point in waiting around. Rita's supposed to have breakfast ready for us when we get back. Then, you guys can get some sleep if you need to." He opened the door and allowed Relena and his daughter to enter before climbing in as well. Heero, Duo, and Wufei climbed in the other side and situated themselves on each side of Relena.  
  
"Mother has set up some guestrooms for you." Marguerite said as they shut the doors. "I'll show them to you when we get there."  
  
"That is very kind of you." Relena said. "Thank you."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Relena." Senator Covington said. "We love having company. It's the least we could do for you and the Preventors. Everyone needs a good place to sleep and relax."  
  
"And I'm afraid with the way the meetings are headed, we're all going to need a place to relax." Marguerite said. "We've got most of the delegates going against the ideas you and father, as well as some of the others, are proposing. These meetings are going to be harsh."  
  
"I know we are going to be going against some opposition." Relena said. "But we have a number of influential people on our side."  
  
"Yes, I know." the older man replied. "Michael Cole, the Head of Cloverleaf Industries is going along with us concerning the increase in the mining of the natural resource satellites, as well as the harbor and trade agreements. He is also the acting Harbor Coordinator for the majority of the colony ports. His backing is crucial for most of our proposals to go through."  
  
"Another strong supporter is Keith Flanagan." Marguerite pointed out. "He is the Head of the Colony Business Council. With him and Cole backing up our proposals, as well as you, there is not much that the rest of the Senate committees can do."  
  
"Quatre Winner is another strong supporter." Senator Covington said. "He doesn't want the government to regulate the amount of resources being mined from deep space. He's afraid if the government officials start bickering about it, then chaos is going to break out. Can't say that I disagree with him that much. Most of the government officials proposing the changes to the actions of the space colonies have never even set foot on one of the colonies."  
  
"I didn't know Q-man was coming." Duo said, a grin on his face. "Now, all we'll need is Trowa and we can have a little reunion!"  
  
"Pardon?" Marguerite asked. "Q-man? Who is that?"  
  
"Forgive Maxwell, Ms. Covington." Wufei said. "He tends to open his mouth and stick his foot in it." Duo glowered and Marguerite stifled a small chuckle at the two men.  
  
"You know Mr. Winner?" Senator Covington asked, turning to the other two Preventors.   
  
"Yeah!" Duo said. "We know him. He's a good buddy of ours. Helped us out during the war."  
  
"Yes, I had heard that the Winner heir had disinherited himself in order to fight against OZ." Senator Covington said. "I had heard that he was a pilot, but I did not expect to run into friends of his. What division of the Alliance were you in?"  
  
"Um…." Duo said, not wanting to say too much and give away their status as ex-Gundam pilots. All of the Gundam pilots had tried to keep a low profile since the Mariemaa incident a couple of years ago, and there were not that many people who actually knew that they had piloted the feared machines during the fight for independence from OZ and the Romefeller Foundation.  
  
"We were members of a special unit assigned to infiltrate OZ and send information back." Heero covered up easily for his partner. "Most of our work was done on Earth."  
  
"I understand." the man answered. "I'm just glad we are able to live in peace. War is a horrible thing. And I am so glad that it is over with." Relena nodded in agreement and tried to steer the conversation back towards the Summit meetings.   
  
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Kenneth." Relena said, "But isn't your daughter the CEO of one of the companies arguing against government regulations of space colonies?" A small smile crept to the old man's face and he nodded. But, Marguerite suddenly became quiet with the mention of her half sibling.  
  
"Yes. Belladonna will being coming to a number of the meetings to discuss what some of the area's business affiliates want done." he said. "When I told her that you were coming to the States, she was overjoyed. It seems like you two were classmates at St. Gabriel's, or so she told me. I had no idea you two knew each other."  
  
"Bella and I were friends for a while before the war broke out." Relena said, smiling faintly. "I remember her last name as Covington, though. When did she change it? Did she get married?"  
  
"No. Bella took her mother's maiden name after she was killed five or six years ago." he said. "She's kept it ever since." Relena, sensing that the old man did not want to talk too much about Belladonna's mother, moved onto a more neutral topic.  
  
"Will she be stopping by before the meetings commence?" Relena asked.   
  
"She said she would be coming by later on today, after she finished up some work in the city." he said. "So she should be at the house by noon at the latest."  
  
"Not to change the subject, but are there any safety precautions we need to have in place with Relena being in our home?" Marguerite asked, turning to the Preventors in the car. "There has not been any trouble with protestors yet, but there will be some problems. There always is any time the meetings are held. Anything we can do to help ensure Relena's safety? Mr. Yuy?"  
  
"We will need to know the names of all the people that come in and out of your home on a daily basis." he said. "I need to know what type of security system you have in place, and the codes to the system. One of us will be with the Vice Foreign Minister at all times."  
  
"I understand." Senator Covington said. "I will give you all the information you need upon arrival at the house. I do not want to risk Relena's safety at any point in time."  
  
"Understood." Heero said. The rest of the drive to the plantation house was spent in conversation. Relena and the two politicians spoke of their ideas and who they had for supporters while the three Preventors watched. Of course, Duo would interject with a sarcastic comment here and there, usually causing Heero and Wufei to glare at him, and the rest of the occupants to laugh at him.  
  
When they finally got to the house, Relena was on the verge of falling asleep. Rita Covington, a virile woman in her late thirties, welcomed them into her home like a loving neighbor. When Relena said that she wasn't hungry, just sleepy, Mrs. Covington showed her to the guestrooms where she and the Preventors would be staying, telling them to get some rest and come downstairs when they were ready to eat.   
  
"I'll have your bags brought up and put in your room." Mrs. Covington had said, leaving Relena to get some sleep. "You children can get some sleep and then eat. That'll make you feel a little better after such a long flight." She turned to the three Preventors standing outside the door and smiled warmly. "Are you three gentlemen hungry? There's plenty of food in the kitchen."  
  
"We need to secure the perimeter first, Mrs. Covington." Wufei said. "We can eat later."  
  
"I'll have some food sent up to your rooms." the woman said kindly. "It looks like all of you could use some rest. Do what you need to and all get you something to eat. No need in you walking around on an empty stomach, now is there?" Mrs. Covington left them to their devices and disappeared down the stairs to the first floor of the house.  
  
"I like that lady." Duo commented easily. "She's got food for us." Heero just looked at his partner and shook his head while Wufei frowned.   
  
"You're hopeless, Maxwell." the Chinese man said.   
  
"We've got work to do, you two." Heero said, throwing his bad into the guestroom next to Relena's. "Wufei, secure a perimeter and check all the entrances into this house. I want to know everyone who comes in and out of this place."  
  
"Understood." he said.  
  
"Maxwell, find Covington and get the security override codes and any other information he has about security settings in this house."  
  
"Sure thing, buddy." the braided young man said.  
  
"Meet me back here in an hour with whatever you find." Heero said, watching as the two men walked off. It was going to be a long three weeks, and he could tell it already.  
  
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Later on that evening, after Relena had gotten a few hours of rest, and the boys had staked out the majority of the land surrounding the house, Marguerite suggested that they go into town for a little while after lunch. Relena had agreed, and gotten Heero and Duo to agree to go with her, leaving Wufei to his devices around the vast plantation home. Unfortunately, their plans were immediately derailed by the coming of Senator Covington's eldest daughter, Belladonna Saucier.  
  
Duo and Heero were walking around outside the plantation house when a black SUV pulled through the gates and up the driveway. The windows were tinted, so the two Preventors could not tell who it was.  
  
"Were we expecting visitors?" Duo asked, eyeing the vehicle warily.  
  
"It's Covington's other daughter." Heero said monotonously. "He said she was coming by to see Relena after lunch." Duo grimaced and sighed.  
  
"I hope she's not as annoying as her sister." he said. Ever since they had arrived at the plantation, it seemed as though Marguerite was right under their feet. It had gotten so bad that Wufei had told her off, in a not so subtle way. After that, she had seemingly set her eyes on Duo as her next victim.   
  
"Having problems with the locals?" Heero asked, eyeing his partner for some type of reaction. He had noticed Marguerite's interest in his partner, and found it quite amusing to see the normally cheerful man get broody and evasive around the American woman. "Figured you'd like the attention."  
  
"The woman is a leech!" Duo said exasperatingly. "She just won't take a hint and go away! The only reason she's not here now is because Princess got her off of my back. I don't need another clingy woman attached to me right now." Heero hid his grin and turned to the SUV that had parked not too far from them. The door opened up and the boys immediately heard a slightly angry female voice coming from the vehicle as she stepped out. Duo grinned when he got a good look at the young woman. The picture they had gotten with the file on Belladonna Saucier did the young woman no justice. She was not drop dead gorgeous, but was not too bad on the eyes, at least in Duo's humble opinion.  
  
"I don't give a damn what he said!" the young woman said forcefully into the cell-phone she held, reaching for her briefcase across the seat. "That idiot isn't the one who has to answer to the Board of Directors! I do!"   
  
………  
  
"He authorized WHAT?!" she asked, frowning. "And you listened to him? You know he doesn't have the authority to do that."  
  
……….  
  
"And I'm the one that signs your paycheck every week! Mitchell is a paper pusher with an over inflated ego. You don't listen to him unless it has been cleared through me, and me alone!"  
  
……….  
  
"Acting on my orders, was he?" she asked, completely outraged now. "That bastard! Tell him I want him in my office first thing in the morning! I'm about to put an end to his selective hearing problem…"   
  
Duo and Heero continued to watch the woman as she walked up the sidewalk and towards them.   
  
'Seems like we have a little hellcat on our hands.' Duo thought. 'This should be fun.' Although she was currently yelling at some unfortunate soul on the other end of the line, both Preventors recognized her immediately from the folder of information that they had read over.  
  
She was a somewhat short woman, only reaching five foot, four inches at the most. Quite small, considering both Duo and Heero stood at a little under six foot or better. She had shoulder length brown, wavy hair and dark blue eyes that were currently sparking in aggravation. Even though she was short, she seemed looked healthy, unlike her half sister who was in danger of blowing away should a strong enough gust of wind come by. She was curvy and her clothing showed it. Dressed in a coal black blazer, white shirt and black, above the knee skirt, and black high heels, she looked every bit the formidable business woman her reputation told of.   
  
"Stupid people," she muttered, walking up to them and shutting the phone off and slipping it into her pocket. "Bunch of ass kissing imbeciles who can't think with the brain the good Lord gave them."  
  
"Ms. Saucier, I presume?" Heero asked, looking at her.   
  
"Yes, I'm Belladonna Saucier." the woman answered, her mood doing a one hundred and eighty degree flip, and smiling kindly at the two Preventors. "Forgive me for my yelling. It seems I have an idiot at work who wouldn't know his brain from a whole in the wall. Who might you be, sir?"  
  
"Preventor Heero Yuy." he said, extending his hand. "Vice Foreign Minister Dorlian's head bodyguard for the duration of her stay here."  
  
"I understand." she said, shaking hands with him. She turned to Duo and nodded. "And you are also part of the guard detail, I assume?" Duo nodded and grinned, taking her proffered hand and kissing the back of it.  
  
"Duo Maxwell." he said. "I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie. Pleasure to meet such a lovely lady as yourself, Ms. Saucier." Belladonna smiled as Duo's more charming nature kicked in.  
  
"Lord help us, we have quite the charmer in our midst I see. It's a pleasure to meet you both. Please, call me Bella." she said smiling at the braided pilot. "I was told there would be three Preventors accompanying Relena. Are you the only two that came?"  
  
"No." Wufei said, slipping up behind her silently. Bella turned and blinked a few times before she nodded.  
  
"Quiet one, aren't you?" she asked, grinning. She held out her hand in a friendly gesture. "Bella Saucier. Pleased to meet you, sir."  
  
"I know who you are, woman." Wufei said stoically, assessing the woman in front of him, but not shaking her hand.   
  
"Well, you seem to be a step ahead of me, sir." the woman said, withdrawing her hand and holding back a frown. "I haven't been given your name yet."  
  
"That's Wufei." Duo said. "He's a jerk, but we keep him around anyways. He's the comic relief."  
  
"Keep your mouth shut, Maxwell." Wufei said, glaring at the other Preventor. "Unless you have something intelligent to say." Before an argument could break out, Heero turned back to the woman and addressed her.  
  
"We need to search you before you go into the house, Ms. Saucier." he said. "Precautionary measure to ensure the Vice Foreign Minister's safety."  
  
"Search away." Bella said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm used to it."   
  
"Check the briefcase, Maxwell." Heero said, patting the woman down carefully, searching for any hidden weapons or other items. Duo took the briefcase and opened it, only to find a large amount of files and other paperwork.  
  
"Clear." Duo said. "Nothing but paperwork and junk." Heero nodded and stepped away from her.  
  
"She's clean." he said.  
  
"I see." Bella said, assessing the three men in front of her. "Well, now that I know who you are, you know who I am, and that I don't plan on assassinating Relena, I'd like to see her."  
  
"Of course." Heero said. "She was with your sister the last time I checked." Bella shook her head and frowned, taking her briefcase back from Duo.  
  
"If she's with Marguerite, then I need to go save the poor woman from a slow death from insanity." Bella said. "Excuse me, gentlemen." The woman continued walking up the steps until she was at the door to the house. She opened the door and went in, depositing her briefcase on the small table near the door, then shutting it.  
  
"Well, that was interesting." Duo said. "She doesn't seem as bad as her sister though. What do you think, Heero?"  
  
"Hn." was all the ex-Wing Zero pilot said before going off towards the back of the house once again. "Keep a lookout, Maxwell."  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I know." Duo mumbled, going back to his patrols, Wufei heading the other way.  
  
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When Bella got into the house, she put her briefcase down and began looking for her school time friend. She was not planning on staying long at her father's house, since she had some paperwork to finish before her vacation time started on Monday.  
  
"Dad!" she called. "Rita! I'm home!" Footsteps could be heard from the general area of the kitchen, and Rita Covington stepped out, only to give her stepdaughter a warm smile.  
  
"Have a good day, Bella?" she asked. "I'm glad you stopped by. It's been a few days since you came to see us."  
  
"Yeah. It was okay. Sorry I haven't been by in a while. Work has been hectic." the woman asked. "Where's Relena?"  
  
"In the kitchen with Marguerite." Rita said. "She's been waiting on you for a while." Bella grinned and followed her step mom into the kitchen. Upon seeing Relena at the table, Bella grinned like a schoolgirl.  
  
"Well, if it isn't the Queen of the World." she teased, walking over to give Relena a hug. "How's things been going, Relena. It's been a while since I saw you last."  
  
"Belladonna." Relena said, smiling. "It's good to finally get to see you again. It's been a long time."  
  
"Almost six years since you disappeared on us." Bella said, taking a seat at the table. "I see you finally managed to keep Heero around you. Congrats." Relena blushed profusely and Bella grinned. Even when they had been at St. Gabriel's, it was well known that Relena had taken a liking to the young man. The only problem was he kept running away from her. Bella had teased her relentlessly about it for days. Saying that if she was going to keep him around, then she would need to nail his feet to the floor.  
  
"Haven't forgotten that, have you?" Relena asked, smiling.   
  
"Now why would I go and do a thing like that?" she asked. "There's no fun if I can't tease you about it."  
  
"You're horrid woman, Bella." Relena said, grinning.   
  
"I'll agree to that." came a muttered comment from Marguerite. Bella's smile faltered when she turned to her half sister.  
  
"Hello, Marguerite." she said evenly. "How's things been?"  
  
"Fine." she said, smiling venomously. "Up until recently."  
  
"Do tell." Bella said, acting completely ignorant of the fact that Marguerite was referring to her coming into the house. "Well, I hope whatever's went wrong straightens itself out soon."  
  
"I'm sure it will." Marguerite said, giving her a half smile. "I have a feeling the problem will be gone in a few hours. It just tends to come and go at times. Annoying really. We just can't seem to get rid of it."  
  
"You might want to watch out, though." Bella said, matching her younger half-sibling's sarcastic and cold tone. "Sometimes problems like that tend to are permanent. Sometimes you just can't get rid of them."   
  
Needless to say, Relena was quick to reason that her old schoolmate and Marguerite did not get along very well. The feeling of confrontation was almost palpable. Relena had no idea that there was so much tension between the two girls, and quickly decided to intervene.  
  
"Bella, Marguerite told me that you have a couple of horses on the property. Are they broken, or wild?" Relena asked.  
  
"They're completely broken." she said. "Dad keeps them around just for the hell of it. In fact it's been a few days since they've had a good run. I was planning on taking them out later, if you wanted to ride that would be great."  
  
"Relena and I were planning on going into town and doing some shopping before the meetings started." Marguerite cut in suddenly. "I believe Heero and Duo were coming as well, correct Relena?"  
  
"Yes." Relena said, noticing Bella's cool demeanor towards her half sister. "We had planned on it. Would you like to come as well, Bella?"  
  
"No, that's alright, Relena." Bella said. "I'm not much of a shopper. Besides, I've got some work to finish before Monday. My vacation time starts then and I need to get my Board members the information they requested."  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Relena asked again.   
  
"Nah, go ahead." she said. "I'll catch up with you when you guys get back later on. There are some things I'd like to talk to you about after dinner, Relena. Unless you have something planned."  
  
"No. I have nothing planned." Relena said. "I'd be glad to."  
  
"You heard her, Relena." Marguerite said, standing from the table and pushing the chair in. "She doesn't want to come with us. Let's get your bodyguards and go. We don't want to waste time. There is a simply adorable little boutique I know that you'll just love right inside the French Quarter….."  
  
Relena was pulled out of the room by the younger girl, and only spared a glance back at Bella, who was shaking her head.   
  
"Bella…"  
  
"Don't worry about her, Relena." Marguerite said. "She is not exactly a very social person. Never has been as long as I've known her."  
  
"But…"  
  
"Come on." the other girl said. "Let's get your guards and go." Relena only nodded and followed the girl outside, going to look for Heero and the other Preventors. 'Something is going on here.' she thought, watching as Heero appeared at her side, along with Wufei and Duo. 'Bella used to love shopping with me. Things can't have changed that much since the last time that I saw her.'   
  
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By the time Relena and the Preventors had returned with Marguerite, it was close to dinner time. Bella long ago ditched the business suit and was currently wearing a pair of jeans and an oversized white t-shirt that read 'LOUISIANNA YARD DOG', and showed a picture of an alligator below the writing.   
  
"Have fun shopping?" she asked Relena as they walked into the house.   
  
"Yeah." Relena answered. "There are some interesting shops in the city. The boutiques are beautiful. I never knew there was such a selection in New Orleans."  
  
"This place has anything you could possibly want." Bella said, shrugging and wiping her hands on a towel she had hanging from her pocket. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes. So, I hope you guys are hungry."  
  
"Food?!" came Duo's voice. "Where? Where's the food?" Bella turned in time to see the braided Preventor come into the house, laden with numerous bags from different stores in town.   
  
'Looks like he got stuck as Marge's bag boy.' she thought, hiding a grin. 'Poor guy.' Heero and Wufei followed him in, neither of them carrying any sort of bags.   
  
"Hello, gentleman." she said, nodding. "Have a pleasant evening?" Heero gave no type of reaction, but Wufei mumbled something. All Bella caught was 'women', 'shopping', and 'injustice'.   
  
"Where's the food?" Duo whined, looking over at Bella with big puppy dog eyes. "I'm hungry."  
  
"Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes." Bella said. "Rita's pulling the last dish out of the oven as we speak, and I'm finishing up dessert. That should give you guys enough time to put your bags up and wash up."  
  
"Thank you, Bella." Relena said. "We'll be down momentarily." The girl only nodded and walked back into the kitchen.   
  
A few minutes later, everyone was situated in the dining room, ready to eat, everyone except Duo, Heero, and Wufei.   
  
"Where are your body guards, Relena?" Marguerite asked, eyeing the three empty places at the large oak table. "Aren't they going to eat dinner with us? I thought Mr. Maxwell said that he was hungry."  
  
"Heero said that they would eat later." Relena said. "They're doing patrols right now."  
  
"That's no point in them missing dinner." Rita Covington said, frowning at the thought of the boys missing a meal. "Go get them, Belladonna."  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Bella said, exiting the kitchen. "All of them outside, Relena?"  
  
"Yes." she answered, getting up from her chair to go help find them.  
  
"Sit down, Relena." Bella said. "I'll find them."   
  
A few minutes later, a loud round of barking was heard from the back of the house, and Bella came back into the kitchen, followed by all three of the Preventors. Heero looked none to pleased to be pulled from his post, neither did Wufei. But Duo was practically salivating by the time he got into the kitchen.  
  
"What's for dinner?" he asked. "I'm starving." Mr. Covington and his wife smiled and allowed the men to get seated before passing out the dishes of food.  
  
"Enjoy everyone." Rita Covington said, "I usually don't get to cook for a large amount of people."  
  
"Looks delicious to me." Duo muttered, passing a bowl of mashed potatoes to Marguerite, who was sitting beside him. "Thanks, Mrs. Covington."  
  
"Not a problem dear." she said. "Eat up." Dinner was actually quite a pleasant experience. The chatter at the table finally enveloped everyone, even Wufei and Heero, although they said the least out of everyone. The conversation between Bella and her half sister was still clipped and cold, though, Relena noticed. She resolved to find out exactly what was going on between the two after dinner when she talked to Belladonna.  
  
By the time dinner was finished, there was no one at the table who had not had second, or in Duo's case third, helpings of the delicious food. Mrs. Covington shooed them out of the kitchen after that, and the Preventors resumed their positions outside. Luckily for Relena, Marguerite was called into her father's study, leaving Bella and Relena to walk out to the stables and talk while they saddled up the horses for an evening run.  
  
"Bella, can I ask you something?" Relena asked as she put a blanket on the horse's back in preparation for the saddle.   
  
"Sure." she said. "What is it?"  
  
"Maybe it is just me, but why does Marguerite seem so cold towards you?" Relena asked. Bella sighed and stopped her movements. Relena, catching onto the change in mood, stopped and waited for an answer.  
  
"Marge and I have never really gotten along, Relena." she answered. "Ever since my mom died and I moved in with my dad and this family, she's always saw me as an outsider or sorts. She considers me a taint to the family name because of how I was conceived…….the result of a drunken one night stand between dad and my mother."  
  
"It's not your fault, how you came about." Relena said, shaking her head. "Has she always been this bad, though?"  
  
"Well, there's more to the friction between us than I'm willing to tell you about, Relena." Bella said. "Suffice to say there was a time when Marge and I got along, or I should say, tolerated each other much better than we do now. Unfortunately, some things happened that she was responsible for, and I can't forgive her for it. Not even my dad or Rita know exactly why we can't see eye to eye, although my dad suspects the answer."  
  
"What was so bad that you can't forgive your own half sister?" Relena asked, not completely understanding what the other girl was saying.  
  
"I'm not going to tell you, Relena. I can't." Bella said, picking up a saddle and putting it on the horse in front of her. "But trust me, by the time you leave the States, you'll see exactly what kind of person my sister is. It's not pretty."  
  
"But…"  
  
"You'll see, Relena." Bella said. "Don't worry. Just give it a few more days." The young woman pulled the last strap on the saddle and pulled herself up. "Ready to go, Relena?"  
  
"Yes." Relena answered, pulling herself up onto the large brown horse and dropping the subject. "Let's give these guys a good run." Bella smiled and reigned her stead out of the stable, Relena right beside her. On the opposite side of the stable, Heero watched as they ran the horses towards the back of the property. He and the other Preventors had already scoured the grounds and checked everything, but there were a few questions he had for the eldest child of Senator Covington.   
  
She seemed harmless enough to him, in fact, she probably was. But something just did not set right with her, or her sister for that matter. Both of them acted like they knew more about some things than they let on. Oh yeah, Heero had questions, and he wanted answers.   
  
Now.  
  
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A/N - Okay, I finished that chapter. Took bloody well long enough, if I do say so myself. But I needed to introduce the main original characters. Hope you guys enjoyed it.   
  
Remember to leave a review, telling me what you think.   
  
Later,  
  
A.A. 


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimers - It's not mine. It never was. The only people I own are Bella and her family, and any other character that has come out of my twisted imagination. :)_

_A/N - I'm really sorry for taking so long to update. My summer classes just ended, and I've been cramming for a Chemistry final, so I've had absolutely NO time for my fics. But now that they're over, I'll try and get a few more chapters out before my classes start on the 23rd of this month._

_Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Your advice and criticisms are appreciated._

_Later,_

_A.A_

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_Duo's Dilemma_

_Chapter 3_

The first few days with the Covington family kept the Preventors on their toes. Although the Peace Summit meetings did not officially begin until Monday, there was a steady stream of dignitaries and other important visitors in and out of the large plantation home wanting to speak with Relena, Senator Covington, Marguerite, or all three. Heero had posted Wufei and Duo at different points of the grounds with orders to report in every hour, while he stayed within arms' reach of the Vice Foreign Minister.

The evening before the beginning of the meetings, Duo was scouting around back of the property when movement in one of the many greenhouses dotting the property caught his attention. The young ex-pilot knew that the last visitor of the day had already left, and wondered who would be messing around in the little hothouses. He quickly walked over and peered in, finding Rita Covington pruning back an ivy vine that had seemingly decided to take over the small, glass building.

"Mrs. Covington?" Duo asked, grinning as the woman jumped in surprise, turning around to give him a half smile. Rita Covington was a woman with good taste in everything, as could be seen in her appearance and surroundings. She was in her late forties, with coal black hair that was just starting to go grey. A plump little woman with a friendly smile for everyone, she had just the right mixture of humor and sarcasm to keep even Duo second guessing her at times. "Everything alright back here?"

"Fine, dear." the woman said, pulling off her gloves and dusting her hands. "Just pruning some of my plants and gathering some flowers for dinner."

"Got a lot of them, don't you?" Duo asked as he walked up beside her and looked down at the table in front of him. There were pots and pots of colorful flowers and vines all over the table "Lots of different kinds." The aging woman smiled and pulled a pot of lilies towards her, clipping the stalks and carefully laying them to the side.

"It keeps me busy in the off-season." she chuckled.

"I can't get anything to grow." Duo admitted, scratching his head. "Seems like I have a knack for fixing, building, or killing stuff, though."

"Belladonna is the same way." she said. "Even Marguerite can sometimes get plants to grow, but not Belladonna. These are Bella's favorites, you know. She loves lilies, so anytime she's here for dinner, I cut some to make an arrangement for the dinner table."

"Really? That's awful nice of you." Duo said, feigning interest. "Well, if you're in here, then who's cooking dinner?" He had smelled the alluring scent of fried chicken from the house earlier, and figured the Covington matriarch was fixing dinner. "I'm hungry."

"Bella's cooking for everyone tonight." she remarked. "She got here an hour or so ago and evicted her father and Relena from the kitchen, telling them that if they wanted to eat dinner tonight, they had to get out and let her work without the constant chatter of political gossip swimming in the air around her head." Duo grinned, picturing the feisty C.E.O. ordering her dad and the Vice Foreign Minister out of the room.

Surprisingly, ever since they had arrived in the States, considering it had only been a couple of days, Duo had developed an instant rapport with the oldest of Covington's daughters. She was always coming and going from the plantation, running errands for her father or step-mother, or just checking up on everyone.

She had even managed to gain Heero's grudging respect somehow. Duo hadn't managed to figure out how, but he was curious. And Wufei's perchance to argue with a woman was grounded by Bella since Sally was not on hand. In fact, the Chinese man and American woman had been in the middle of a heated debate on ancient Eastern peace philosophies the night before that no one dared to get between. It had gotten to the point where Wufei was on the verge of losing his temper, while Bella looked like she was about to throw something at the arrogant Preventor.

They had eventually separated when Wufei got so annoyed that he went out for patrols. And Relena had told him that Bella laughed for nearly half an hour afterwards, for being able to ruffle the young man's cool demeanor. Now, Wufei would address Bella as 'that crazy American woman' and Bella called him a 'stick in the mud China-man'. Now, when the two encountered each other, insults flew and one usually left the room mad. But, neither party took any offense to the insults. They got too much fun out of it. Wufei got a woman to argue with, and Bella had found someone who would argue with her much better than Marguerite ever would.

"Bella's got a house on the other side of town, right?" Duo asked, changing the subject. Heero had wanted him to inquire about a few things, and Duo figured Mrs. Covington would indulge the information he wanted to know. Rita Covington nodded and laid another pure white flower beside the others, put the clippers down, and gathered them up to leave the hothouse, motioning Duo to precede her. "Then why's she always around here?"

"Well, with the Peace Summit meetings these next few weeks, Bella's arranged for her vacation time to coincide so she could come here and keep things underfoot while Kenneth, Marguerite and I are busy." she said.

"Considerate of her." he said, holding the door open as they walked out.

"She helps when she can." Rita said. "And it is really appreciated, I can assure you of that. In fact, she's speaking at the conferences on Tuesday...or Wednesday. I'm not sure which."

"I didn't know that." Duo said, matching the shorter woman's strides as they crossed the yard.

"Oh, I'm surprised Marguerite hasn't told you." she said amiably as they came closer to the house. "Seems like my daughter doesn't mind talking to you. But I'm afraid Preventor Yuy and Preventor Chang are not as...friendly. They seem quite unapproachable. Not that I'm demeaning them or anything. They're doing a wonderful job, but they are not very sociable, are they?" Duo tried to stifle a grin at the woman's assessment of his partners, and Marguerite's reluctance to try and engage them in conversation.

The younger woman had made it a point to attach herself to his side anytime he was around, and it irked him more than a little. But Heero and Wufei had made it clear that she was a bother to them, so she stayed away from the other two men. Fortunately, it seemed as though Bella had taken not of her sister's preference for Duo's company and always managed to get him out of her line of sight, for which he was grateful, by engaging her in an argument of some caliber, and allowing him to slip away as the not-so-subtle insults flew between the half siblings.

"Smells like dinner's ready." Duo commented as he opened the door to the kitchen and allowed the woman to go through.

"Bella?!" Rita called loudly, pulling a vase out of a nearby cabinet and filling it with water to arrange the lilies in.

"Coming, Rita!" came Bella's voice from the door of the pantry. "Just a second!" A few moments later, the young woman walked out, a large mixing bowl in her hands. "Did you need something?"

"How much longer 'til dinner, hon?" the older woman asked, placing the vase on the dining room table. "Mr. Maxwell's stomach is quite vocal without food to keep it pacified." Bella grinned at the braided Preventor and threw a dish towel at him.

"Wipe the table off and you can help me bring the food into the dining room." she said, nodding towards the spacious dining room.

"Gotcha." Duo said, turning to the adjacent room, all to happy to comply with her wishes, as long as he got something to eat.

"I'll go get Kenneth and Relena." Mrs. Covington said. "Were is Marguerite?"

"She said something about trying to find Mr. Maxwell." Bella shrugged, turning away from her step mother so the older woman couldn't see the evil grin on her face. "I told her I thought he took one of the horses and rode out to scout the property lines."

"Bella...." Rita said, placing her hands on her hips, and setting a stern frown on her face. "You didn't...." She had a feeling Bella had deliberately sent Marguerite out on a wild goose chase for Duo, knowing that the man was no where near the property lines.

"Hey, I heard Preventor Yuy tell Maxwell to scout the end of the property today. Taking a horse would make the most sense." Rita shook her head and left the kitchen to go gather up her family and visitors. The day those two girls got along, she'd retire from politics!

-----Half an hour later....------

"You out did yourself, baby girl." Kenneth Covington said as they began the meal. Bella blushed at the unexpected praise from her father and brought the last of the serving dishes to the table. At the moment, the oak table could not hold another plate, dish, or platter.

"Yeah, Belladonna." Marguerite sneered angrily. "You trying to impress our guests or something?" She had just gotten back from her chase to the property lines, and there was still sticks and leaves in her hair. She had brought a rotten attitude back with her as well, unfortunately.

"I'm impressed." Duo muttered, spooning a heap of potatoes onto his plate, totally oblivious to the tension rising between the two women. Bella sat down beside her step-mother, shaking her head in amusement. Heero just shook his head, watching as Duo sated his over active appetite. Wufei was currently outside, watching for anything unusual. The stoic pilot knew Bella would leave enough food out for him to eat after Duo took over the night watch.

"My hardest critic is happy." she said with a flourish. "Now I can die a satisfied woman." There were a number of snickers heard, and Bella served herself from the dishes. "So, are you guys ready for the Summit meetings tomorrow?"

"I'll be glad to get them over with." her father answered. "There's too many tough issues to deal with. And I'm afraid there is going to be trouble with some of the older Senators."

"Enough of that could be avoided, if they would just look at reason." Marguerite said sweetly. "Some of those proposals need to be amended anyways, especially the ones about the space port taxes. Don't you think so, Relena?"

"I personally don't think they need to change all that much." Relena said thoughtfully. "Everything is fine now. Why change it?"

"But don't you think an increase in the taxes would help the colonies' economy even more?" Marguerite pressed.

"There's no need for the increase." Bella said firmly. Margureite cut her eyes to her older sister and glared, but Bella ignored it. "Most of the colony economics have stabilized in the past few years. And the ones who are still struggling a bit are getting financial backing from some of the Earth-based companies who are willing to take a chance investment."

"But..."

"Let's wait until tomorrow," Mrs. Covington said finally, waving her hands in the direction of her daughter and step-daughter. "to talk about these issues. You can argue them to death tomorrow at the meetings. I don't want an all out fight to start at the dinner table."

"Sounds good to me." Bella said, eyeing her sister and sipping her drink. "I'm not that much on politics anyways." Marguerite just shot her sister a nasty glance and turned back to her meal, not wanting to back down from the impending argument, but being forced to do so by her own mother.

--------------After dinner------------

Dinner had passed rather quickly after that, and it was no time before the mess was cleaned up and most of the household was piled up in the living room, catching the evening news and weather. Heero and Duo had dispersed, and Bella had headed for the stables after bringing Wufei a large plate of food.

Heero walked around the back of the stables, doing a routine nighttime check before handing the security over to Duo for the evening. Unsurprisingly, he heard Bella's aggravated voice coming from the stables.

"....crazy woman doesn't know what she's talking about!" Bella's angry voice drifted out of the door. Heero walked over and peered in, seeing the woman rushing down a large brown and white painted horse. "If she'd pay more attention to things that don't immediately concern her padding her already bulging pockets, she'd see how problems can be avoided! Marguerite's asking for trouble."

"Seems to be a popular word around here." Heero commented stoically, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against the corral wall. Bella turned and incline her head to him. "Trouble."

"Evening, Preventor Yuy." Bella said, nodding to him, then turning back to grooming the horse. "Didn't hear you back there. Everything alright?"

"I've got some questions for you." he asked pointedly, getting straight to the point. Belladonna did not seem like the type of woman to beat around the bush on a subject, so he headed straight in.

"Well, if you've got the right questions, I might have the right answers for you." she said. "What can I do for you?"

"You said earlier that your sister was asking for trouble, pushing certain issues about the colonies. Why is that?" he asked.

"I'll be honest with you Mr. Yuy." Bella said. "Marguerite doesn't care what she has to do, who she has to hurt, and what she has to destroy to get her way. She's never been in space before, and doesn't realize exactly how fragile things are up there. Relena told me you were from the L1 colony cluster." Heero nodded and Bella continued on. "So, you know how things are up there. One wrong move, and a small problem can escalate into something more." She sighed and put the brush down on a small shelf on the wall and pulled enough hay out to feed her horse. "I don't want her to push issues that could damage the good that people like my dad and Relena had worked to establish."

"Part of your company is transport of materials mined from natural resource satellites and asteroids ." Heero said. "If the proposals your sister is pushing is passed, then it would only help you in the long run."

"You are right about that, I'll concede." she said with a sigh. "It would help my profit margin greatly. But it would hurt my employees in the long run as well. I don't....I won't risk my employees' positions for a few more thousand dollars in profit. It's not worth it."

"That doesn't sound like a good philosophy to have if you want to get ahead of your competitors." he said, watching as she bowed up in anger and indignation. "Especially coming from a C.E.O. like you who has a reputation for being a ruthless cutthroat."

"Well, believe it or not," she said, cutting her eyes at him in anger. "THIS cut throat C.E.O. cares about her employees and their families. My company is secure and stable for the first time in a long while, and I'd like to keep it that way! You don't bite the had that feeds you, Mr. Yuy. And my employees keep my company running. They're loyal to me, so I make sure they're taken care of as much as I possibly can."

"I see." Heero said solemnly.

"I'm glad." she answered. "Anything else I can help you with?"

"Yes." he said. "There's more to these Peace Summit meetings than you're telling me, isn't there?"

"How astute of you." she said with a smile. "Nothing is ever the way it seems around here. Just remember that and you'll be okay."

"And Relena?"

"She's safe." Bella said easily. "The results of the meetings will affect this city and it's officials much more than anywhere else. Relena's going back overseas the day after they end, so she won't have to worry about anything. Not that it would be any difference. You've been protecting her since you two first met at St. Gabriel's. Why would you stop now?"

"Hn."

"Still as vocal as ever, I see." she chuckled. "Well, at least that's better than the death glare that I got the first time I met you." She laughed and Heero just raised his eyebrows in question. "Well, I'm finished here. Goodnight, Mr. Yuy. Will Maxwell be on patrol again tonight?"

"Yeah."

"I better leave some food out then. That man's appetite is worse than an alligator's." She finished picking up her equipment and nodded to Heero on the way out of the stables. Heero just watched her leave, wondering if her answering his questions, had actually created more problems than he wanted to know about.

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_A/N - Hey. Hope you liked the chapter. I know it's a little sketchy, but I needed to have it that way for certain reasons which will soon come to light. _

_Remember to review. I want to know what you guys think._

_Later,_

_A.A._


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimers- It's not mine. Never was. The only characters I own are the ones that have not originally appeared in the Gundam Wing universe._

_A/N - Here's the next chapter for you guys. Hope you're enjoying. _

_Later,_

_A.A._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Duo's Dilemma_

_Chapter 4_

The next morning was the Monday Relena had been dreading. As she climbed out of the huge bed in the guestroom, she could already smell the enticing aroma of breakfast wafting up the stairs from the kitchen. She walked over to the closet and pulled out the suit she was going to wear that day, all the while thinking about the significance of the meetings she would be attending today and the next three weeks.

Things had been relatively quiet for some time between Earth and the colonies. Other than a few minor rebellious groups that had been taken care of prematurely by the Preventors, things had been peaceful. Unfortunately, some of the greedier Earth businessmen had decided to try and capitalize off of the now stable colony economy, and things were starting to heat up to a very threatening degree.

Even though the colonies were usually considered autonomous, developers from Earth were starting to intrude on the businesses that had originally been established by colony citizens who were willing to take the initial risks. The three biggest debates were gong to be centered around the government regulation of import/export taxes, the increase in space mining, and the harbor and port trade agreements.

Relena already knew how she stood on each issue and sincerely hoped she would be able to sway the opinions of some of the more cankerous Senators and dignitaries. As far as she was concerned, most of the business to be discussed could be left up to the space port harbor masters, and individual businesses. Her focus was on keeping tempers in check and acting as mediator between the colony delegation and Earth's representatives and Senate members.

"This is going to be harder than I thought." she mumbled, resting her head on the doorframe.

"You're too worried about it." came a smooth masculine voice from somewhere out the shadows. "You'll be fine." Relena smiled in the partial darkness when she felt Heero's hands circle around her from behind and hug her lightly to his chest.

"I'm glad you think so." she said, leaning back against him. "Sometimes even I doubt myself."

"Don't." he answered so emphatically that she was momentarily taken aback. But she smiled and rested her hands on his. It had only been a few months since he'd come back to Earth on Zech's request, and even fewer since she'd found out he was back, but it made no difference to either of them. He still had a perchance to answer her in monosyllabic words, and hide in the shadows, and let her iniate and contact between the two of them, but she could live with that. He wouldn't change over night, and she realized that. But she was happy with what she had now. He wasn't running away from her anymore, and that was better than anything she could have hoped for. It was reassuring to have him by her side, no matter what the situation.

"I was wondering where you had gone." she said quietly. "You weren't in bed when I woke up."

"Had to check on something Maxwell'd seen." he said, holding her lightly and nuzzling her hair.

"Anything to it?"

"Just Covington's two dogs acting up." he said. "Once your friend Belladonna brought them some food, they quieted down."

"What set them off? Dogs don't bark for no reason." Relena answered, turning around in his arms.

"Don't know." he answered. "Everything was quiet."

"Sounds like you are slipping, Preventor Yuy." she said, mock seriously, pointing an accusing finger at him. Heero cut his eye at her and frowned. Relena felt his grip tighten on her.

"There was nothing there." he said firmly, not catching her playful tone. "I'd have found it."

"I was teasing." Relena said placatingly, smoothing down some of his fly-away hair out of his eyes. "Calm down. Did you let Duo go to get some rest? He's been up all night."

"He can sleep after we leave." Heero said. "That's why I put him on night watch. He can sleep while we're at the conferences, and stay out of trouble." Relena smiled once again and broke out of Heero's arms. Despite the way he acted, she knew Heero was worried about Duo. It seemed that

"I need to get dressed." she said. "Or we're going to be late."

"Only Belladonna is up right now." Heero said. "The other three are still asleep."

"What about Wufei?" Relena asked.

"Already awake." Heero said, slipping out of the closet behind Relena. "Sally woke him up about an hour ago when she called his cell phone." Relena nodded and rummaged through her belongings.

"I'll be down in half an hour." she said. "Why don't you go get some breakfast before Duo devours all of it."

"I can wait." he said, leaning up against the wall and folding his arms over his chest, his customary position when he was waiting on her..

"That's fine." Relena said, grabbing her toiletries and heading for the bathroom. She knew better than to argue with him. Anytime she went somewhere, he was never far behind her, but it never really bother her. She had actually welcomed it after being away from him for so long. She smiled and pulled the shower curtain back.

Yep, things were good, at least for the time being.

-------------------------------------Downstairs, 2 hours later...--------------------------

"Daddy! If you don't come on already, you're going to be late!" Bella called up the stairs

as her father came stumbling out of his room, trying to comb his hair and fix his tie at the same time. "And you know those old codgers are impatient! And incontenence comes with impatience, so we don't want them to have to change their pants!"

"Where's Marguerite and Rita?" he asked, descending the last step, still struggling to get ready. Bella tried to suppress a grin and motioned for him to bend down. He did so, and she deftly fixed his tie, and tidied his hair.

"They left twenty minutes ago." she answered, smoothing his shirt and handing him his suit jacket.

"Relena?"

"Relena and the Preventors Yuy and Chang are waiting for you out front." she said. "Now, here's your briefcase. She handed him the case and waited as he shuffled through the contents, quickly checking on a few things.

"Senator Covington?" came Duo's voice from the doorway. "They're waiting on you."

"I'm coming." he answered. Duo nodded and walked out, having delivered the message Heero had sent with him. "You going into town today, baby?"

"I've got to run to the office to drop some stuff off to Daniel and Corey." she said, shrugging. "Then I'm going to the grocery store. Did you or Rita need something?"

"No. Just be careful." he said. "Traffic is going to be horrible. Where is the...."

"The copy of the proposal for the space mining's in the back of the folder, daddy. I put it there last night before I went to sleep."

"What about Benelli's...."

"Front compartment." she said. "In the blue folder. And SaucierCorp.'s documented standings on the issues is in the manilla folder, just like I promised. Anything else?" Her father smiled down at her and shook his head.

"What would I do without you, pumpkin?" her father asked, ruffling her hair like a little girl's. The man loved his children, and Bella held a special place in his heart.

"You'd be a lot more disorganized and late." she said, shooing him out of the room. "Go now, and make me proud." He smiled and took off towards the front door, passing Duo on the way out.

"Disorganized, isn't he?" Duo asked, grinning at her.

"You have no idea." Bella said, rolling her eyes and smiling. "You'd think a grown man could keep up with his stuff, wouldn't you?"

"BELLA?" her dad's voice rang out again. "WHERE'S MY COFFEE MUG??!!" The woman in front of Duo shrugged and gave him a '_see what I mean'_ look before turning towards the door her dad had exited only moments before.

"IT'S ON THE DINING ROOM TABLE!" she yelled. "RIGHT NEXT TO YOUR WALLET AND THE IDENTIFICATION ACCESS CARDS YOU NEED TO GET INTO THE CONFERENCE HALLS!"

"THANKS, PUMPKIN!!" her father called out a few moments later. Bella waited until she heard her dad's SUV crank up and pull out before she turned and looked at the clock on the wall.

"I might as well get busy." she said, more to herself than anyone else. "Traffic's gonna be hell if I wait to leave any longer."

"Leave?" Duo asked, walking over to her. "Where ya' going?" Bella looked over at the breakfast nook and grinned at Duo's curious face. The braided Preventor had been awake ll night doing the evening/night patrol, yet he did not look any worse for wear. She had taken an instant liking to the young man, and often distracted her younger sister in order for him to get away from the unwanted attention Marguerite gave him.

"I've got to go into town and drop of some paperwork." she said as they walked into the kitchen. "Then go to the grocery store."

"Mind if I ride?" he asked. He wasn't really all that sleepy, and he did want to see the downtown portion of the city where Bella's office was. She looked up from pouring herself a cup of coffee and frowned.

"Can you stay awake that long?" she asked, eyeing him critically. "You were up all night, weren't you?"

"I'll be fine." he said, waving it off. "Just need some java." Bella nodded and shrugged, pulling out another ceramic mug and pouring him some coffee. After pouring liberal amounts of sugar and cream into it, Duo drank it down.

"I'm leaving in ten minutes." she said, getting up from the table. "I'll meet you outside." Duo nodded and poured another cup of coffee before going to change out of his Preventor uniform and into civilian clothes. If the caffeine didn't keep him up, then he was sure that the resulting sugar buzz would keep him awake for a couple more hours at least.

By the time Bella came back down, dressed in blue jeans and a dark blue hoodie and sneakers, Duo was sufficiently doused with enough sugar to sweeten the Great Lakes. He had changed into jeans and a sweatshirt to guard against the cold February weather.

"Ready?" Bella asked, grabbing her keys and cell phone.

"Yep." Duo answered, looking as wide awake as her.

"Let's go then." she said. "Traffic's likely to be hell downtown." They walked out of the plantation house and Bella locked the doors. They climbed into he black SUV and started out the driveway when her cell phone rang. She quickly placed it in a holder on the dashboard and pressed a button that activated a speaker phone in the vehicle.

"Bella." she said.

"Boss, we've got a problem." came a man's voice. "A big problem."

"What happened, Danny? Your date with the redhead went down the drain and you didn't get lucky last night?" she dead panned. There was a few moments of silence before the man recovered enough to form a retort.

"You're a cruel woman, Belladonna Saucier." he mumbled. "A very cruel woman."

"I'm also your boss." she said with a grin at Duo. "As such, I'm allowed to do that. So, what's going on, Danny-boy?"

"You know the new network system our computers were set up on?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, it's not working." he said. "We were hacked into last night and over half our backup files have been deleted on the main server."

"DO WHAT??!!!" she asked. "How the hell did that happen? Where's Corey? She's our tech support."

"I'm working on it, Belle." came a strident female voice in the background. "Someone's gotten in here and made a right mess of everything. They mutilated our codes, and the main driver systems."

"Who was it?" she asked. "And can you fix it?"

"Don't know who it was." the woman said exasperatingly. "And as for fixing it....well...I'm doing what I can at the moment given the situation." Bella shook her head and Duo wondered if the damage that had been caused was irreparable.

"Do what you can." Bella said, turning onto the main road outside her dad's house. "I'm on my way down there."

"You do have the back up server at your house, right?" Danny asked hopefully. "I know you make duplicates of everything and send them to your home computer. Are they up to date?"

"I've got it." she grumbled. "I'll have to go get it, though. I just left my dad's house. Just do what you can until I get there."

"What do you want me to tell everyone else?" Danny asked. "There's not much they can do with the computer system down."

"Keep them busy doing what they can manually. They don't need the computers to organize the month end reports." she said. "They can input the other information when we get everything up and running again. There's no need to close everything down because of technical difficulties. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"If we get it up and running within the next century." came Corey's voice from the background.

"Like I said, do what you can." Bella said.

"Hell of a way to start your vacation, huh Boss?" Danny said.

"You said it, hon." Bella said.

"Later, Boss. I'll get right on it." he chuckled. With a '_click'_ the man named Danny hung up and Bella let out a string of curses that consisted of words Duo had never expected to hear come out of her mouth, interspaced with what he vaguely recognized as the old Cajun-French/Creole dialect that was common in the area. When she finally stopped for a breath, Duo looked over at her and raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"Calm down, yet?" he asked. Bella just glared at him and pulled over onto the side of the road.

"No. But thanks for your concern, anyhow." she said. "Look, this' s gonna take longer than I thought. Sure you still wanna go?" Duo shrugged and debated on whether or not he should go ahead. True, he'd been up all night, but he could make it on a couple hours sleep. He'd done it before.

"Yeah, sure." he grinned. "I might be able to help ya' out a little."

"How?" Bella asked, pulling the vehicle back onto the road. "We've got to make a pit stop at my house first, to get the spare server and my hard drive from my home computer."

"My skills with computers are better than you may think." he said, winking at her. "Betcha I can fix whatever's wrong with it."

"I'll believe that when I see it." Bella said, rolling her eyes. This had happened a few times before to her networking systems, but never this bad.

"Aww, come on now." Duo whined, pulling out the puppy dog eyes. "I'm really good, I promise."

"We'll see." she said, pulling off onto a road that would bypass the city and lead her straight through the surrounding swampland and into the outskirts of the town where her house was.

The half hour ride to her house was pleasant for both occupants after Duo managed to get her to calm down a little. He managed to get her out of her sour mood by regaling her with stories of his more well known pranks of Wufei at Preventor Headquarters, even going as far as imitating the Chinese Preventors' didactic tones and threatening insults. Bella told him of some of the things she'd done at St. Gabriel's to the more snobbish students no one really liked. By the time she'd finished telling him about her exploits on Marguerite, Duo was laughing so hard there were tears in his eyes.

They pulled up to a large set of gates and Bella punched a button her keyring, making the electric gates swing open on their own. As she drove up the graveled driveway, Du spotted a two story house sitting on the edge of the fence line. It wasn't all that big, and the outside was white and gray brick. There was a large porch on the front where two long bench swings were swaying in the wind. All around the yard, barren magnolia and oak trees were interspaced among towering pine trees. To the left of the house, Duo could see what remained of what had been a small flower garden during the summer. And to the right was a fish pond with a fountain of water spurting from the center. It was all in all, a nice little place to live, at least to Duo's assessment.

Bella parked the SUV and got out, motioning for Duo to come with her as she picked out her house key from the various keys on her keychain.

"Come on in, Duo." she said. "It'll take me a few minutes to unhook the equipment, so make yourself at home." They walked into the house and Duo looked around. Everything was decorated in warm earthy colors from what he could see. A large couch set across from him, with an entertainment center in front of it. As he looked around, he didn't notice Bella head straight for a small door on the other side of the living room. "And don't mind Mordred and Damian. They won't bite you." She called back. Duo whirled around to ask her who Mordred and Damian were, when the question was answered for him by a set of loud growls coming from the top of the banister to his left. Duo looked up and gulped as his heart started racing.

At the top of the banister were two dogs. Full grown Rottweiler's from what he could tell by their coloring. Each dog looked at least 125 lbs, easily. And they were currently eyeing hm like he was their next meal.

"Jesus, Joseph and Mary!" Duo said, eyeing the snarling dogs and slowly backing away from them, only to have them descend the staircase. "Hehe...hi there, fellas." He said, taking another step back to where Bella had disappeared. "Ho..how ya doin'?" His only response was another set of growls as the dogs came even close to him, teeth bared and jaws snapping. Now normally, Duo could handle dogs. In fact, he liked them a good deal. But these two monsters were making him reconsider his preferences. Duo was just about to make a break for the vehicle when Bella poked her head in and saw the two dogs.

"Mordred! Damian!" she called. "Come here, my baby boys!" The dogs immediately lost their threatening demeanor and ran past Duo to their mistress, practically knocking him over as they went.

"Babies?" Duo mumbled. "Those aren't babies! Those are Satan's hell hounds!" He watched as the two monstrous dogs licked Bella's face in welcome and happiness. It was quite the sight to see, a woman no taller than five foot and two inches being welcomed and played with by a set of dogs who were probably taller than she was when they stood up on their hind legs.

"You been good, my babies?" she cooed to the dogs. "Yes, you have. You been watching and guarding our house, huh? That's my boys, always looking out for mama, huh?" The dogs just yelped and yipped at her, trying to knock her over from where she was squatting on the floor. She scratched their ears and stood up, only to almost burst out laughing at Duo's shocked expression. "You alright over there, Mr. Maxwell?"

"Those," he said, pointing at the dogs sitting at her feet, "are NOT babies!"

"I apologize if they scared you." she said. "They are rather intimidating. They don't know you either, which doesn't help."

"Obviously." Duo commented. Bella smiled and turned to her pets, backing up to where Duo was standing.

"Give me your hand." she said gently, looking up at him.

"What? Why?"

"You don't want to be puppy chow, do ya?" she asked, frowning. "Because right now, they think you are their next meal, and are just waiting for me to turn my back before they chow down." Duo paled and shook his head. He complied immediately and held out his hand. Bella took his wrist with one hand and snapped her fingers with the other, calling the dogs to her side. "Kneel down to their level." she instructed.

"If they bit me," she joked half heartedly. "I'll sue."

"They won't hurt you when I'm here." she said, grabbing their collars and leading them to Duo's outstretched hand. "My babies only bit people who they don't like, don't trust, or that stink."

"Stink?" Duo asked.

"Yep. Stink." she said with a grin. "You did take a bath this morning, right?" Duo nodded in ascent and tried to grin back at her. The two dogs sniffed at his had, familiarizing themselves with their mistress' friend's scent. They backed up and went to Bella's side, sitting down on their haunches and looking at each other as if they were in the middle of a deep discussion.

"So, did I pass inspection?" he asked her.

"Well, if you didn't, you'd know by now." she said cryptically. Duo gulped and seriously considered relocating himself to the SUV when the dogs got up and walked over to him, tails wagging and whimpering for attention.

"Well, congratulations, Duo." Bella smiled. "You passed."

"I'm honored." he mumbled, awkwardly scratching their heads.

"You should be." she said, standing up and walking to the door of the office she had exited a few minutes before. "The last guy I had in the house almost wound up as chop suey. Come to think of it ....the four before him did as well. Go figure, maybe you broke that streak for me."

"Like I said, I'm honored." Duo mumbled. "So where's that equipment?"

"In here." she motioned, waling into the office with Duo and the dogs on her heels. It didn't take long to dismantle the equipment and put it in the SUV. Bella said goodbye to her 'babies', locked the doors, and they left for her office.....and the disaster that it contained.

--------------------- 45 minutes later ---------------------------------

"I don't even want to go in here." Bella mumbled, grabbing her keys, and popping the truck to get the server and backup hard drive out. "There's no telling what's happened this time." Duo frowned and grabbed the box before Bella did, motioning for her to lead the way in.

"This has happened before?" he asked, walking up the steps with the box in his arms.

"Once before." Bella said. "'Bout six months ago. That's why I started making duplicates of everything and sending it to my house. It's easier to transfer data from one place to another, than having to recover it all together."

"Makes sense." he said, walking through the sliding doors and into the lobby, Bella right beside him. There were people all over, everyone of them in business suits and carrying stacks of printouts. No one paid them any attention since they looked more like a couple of college students instead of a C.E.O. and a Preventor, and Bella walked over to the elevator and punched the up arrow. A few second later, they were on their way to the top floor of the huge building.

"Well, it's time to go into 'bitch mode'." she mumbled.

"Say what?" Duo asked.

"You're about to see why people call me 'Belladonna the Bitch'." she grinned.

"You?" he asked. "This ought to be fun to see. Where's the popcorn?" Bella smiled and shook her head. Duo had heard that the woman was ruthless with her employees, but he had a hard time fitting that picture to the little woman beside him.

"Just watch. My security team's about to get chewed another ass-hole." she said. "They assured me this wouldn't happen again." The elevator stopped and Bella steeled herself to deal with the chaos.

As soon as the doors were opened, Bella was confronted with half a dozen or more people reporting that the entire network was down, and the system was shutting down, and all the other problems currently residing in the building. The noise level in the office was thunderous with ringing phones, whirring fax machines, and beeping pagers, combined with people yelling out information across the room to each other and the general racket that occurred when a large group of people were enclosed in a central area.

Duo just followed along with Bella, watching a she calmly handled the panicked employees, sending them off on different errands. He had to give her credit, she could handle people well enough, even though it looked like a significant number of them were considerably older than her. He drew up a comparison with Quatre, and found that Bella had many of the same qualities as the blonde, Arabian Gundam-pilot-turned-business-guru. When they finally got to the end of the room, Bella led him through a door that went to the waiting room outside her office.

Behind the large circular desk, a frazzled woman in a chocolate colored suit ,in her late thirties sat, penning a note on a post-it paper, then hanging up.

"Any messages, Gracie?" Bella asked, cringing at the look the older woman shot her.

"Where do you want me to start, honey?" she groaned. "This phone's been ringing non-stop since I got here." She picked up a legal pad and walked out from behind the desk. "Daniel and Corey are in you office, trying to salvage what they can." She finally noticed Duo and smiled warmly. "Who's your friend, Bella? Not a new boyfriend you haven't told me about, is he?" Duo grinned and wrapped his free arm around Bella, bringing her closer to him.

"You mean you haven't told them about me, love?" he asked, pouting. "I'm hurt." Bella shook her head and tried to suppress a laugh at his childish antics. Gracie looked at her boss and waited for an explanation, a small smile on her lips.

"Gracie, this is Duo Maxwell." Bella said. "A friend of mine. Duo, this is Gracie. My overly nosey, bit irreplacable secretary." The woman chuckled and shook hands with Duo.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir." she said.

"Same here, ma'am." Duo said, grinning at her. Belladonna walked over to the door of her office and walked in, finding two people already in there, Corey Schiro and Daniel Marks, her tech specialist and senior vice-president.

"What's the damage report, Corey?" Belladonna asked. Corey, a thin woman with wavy, dirty blonde hair, deep set brown eyes, and thin framed wire rimmed glasses, swirled around and shook her head.

"What's that phrase you coined last time this happened?" she asked.

"We're up shit's creek without a paddle?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, that one." the blonde said, rubbing her temples.

"That bad?"

"Shugah, we're not only without a paddle this time, but we don't even have a boat, a raft, a pirout, or a kayak in sight." she dead panned.

"Damn it all to hell." Bella said, sitting down on the desktop.

"That's only the beginning, Boss." came Daniel Marks' grave voice. "I just got off the vidcam with the plant supervisors at the refining plants on L2, L4, and NRS110159."

"And?" she asked, looking over at the man who easily stood six foot or more, and had shocking red hair.

"They've had to shut down the plant due to a viral infection in the main databases." he said. "The plants almost imploded last night."

"What else?" Bella asked, her temper steadily rising. "Gracie?"

"The equipment sheds on the bases on NRS-091589, NRS-030441, and NRS-072238 were ransacked last night by vandals." she said solemnly, reading off the legal pad in her hand. "The mining equipment was stolen and what couldn't be taken or destroyed was vandalized."

"What about the transport carriers?" Bella asked.

"The two on L5 are fine, and so are the four that were in transit." Gracie said. "But the ones docked at L1 and L3 were vandalized. The hoses to the fuel pumps and jet propulsion packs were cut, crossed, and reattached."

"And the research labs and stations?" she asked, sighing in frustration.

"Unharmed as of yet." Daniel said, pushing his shock red hair out of his face. "The lunar laboratory and L2 research lab, as well as the laboratory in Baton Rouge are fine."

"And the University laboratory?" she asked.

"Someone got into their system and deleted the research." Gracie said. "It's all gone, but the head of the department assures me that his graduate students have enough notes on the new data to replace what was lost." Bella groaned in pure frustration and felt like bursting out crying.

"Sounds like someone's out to get you, Bella." Duo commented dryly, pulling the attention in the room to himself. "Or just trying to shut you down at least."

"How observant of you, Duo." she said sarcastically. "Now tell me something I don't know."

"Who are you?" Corey asked, cocking her head to the side and look at the Preventor.

"Duo Maxwell." he said easily.

"And why are you here?" Daniel asked, eyeing him suspiciously. "I've never seen you before, and you don't work here."

"He's a friend of mine." Bella said firmly. "And if he's as good as he says he is, he's gonna help Corey get up back up and running."

"I'm open for suggestions." the blonde woman said, shrugging her shoulders. "Welcome aboard."

"The server and hard drive from my home computer and laptop will give us back what we lost, as least the important stuff." Bella said, taking charge. "See what you can do to fix it, Duo, Corey."

"On it, Belle." Corey said, pulling up another chair for Duo while booting up Bella's laptop, and Duo was hooking up the hard drive of her home computer to another spare monitor.

"Danny," she said, turning to her vice-president. "Send word that everyone can have the day off. I don't want anyone in this building unless I know about it."

"Even the janitors?" he asked.

"Yes." she said. "Even them. Tell the employees that the system has failed. But don't tell them about everything else. No need to get them in a panic. After you relay the message, I need you back up here A.S.A.P."

"Yes, ma'am." he said, leaving out the room to relay the messages.

"Gracie?"

"Yes?"

"Get a hold of my plant supervisors, research laboratory directors, and mining contractors." she said. "Tell them it's an emergency and to clear their schedules from noon this time until. I'm calling an emergency meeting. I'll get a hold of the Board of Directors, so don't worry about that."

"Anything else?" the secretary asked.

"Yes." she ground out. "Get Neil Fleck here immediately, along with the rest of his so-called infallible security team. I've got a few things to tell that arrogant bastard."

"Should I look for a new security specialist while I'm at it?" she asked.

"No." Bella said. "You can be looking for Fleck a funeral director, cause he's gonna need it when I get finished with him!"

-----------Five hours, twenty-seven minutes, and one fired security specialist later------------

Duo rubbed his eyes from the glare on the computer screen. He and Corey had been working for the past five hours straight, but had managed to restore the network and clear the system of the virus that had been planted. They had also managed to trace the location of the hacker to a small apartment complex outside the city limits. The original server had been hooked up again, and Corey was running a diagnostics test to check for any remaining problems.

At the moment, Bella and Daniel were in the middle of a conference via vidcam, and Duo sincerely hoped she wouldn't lose her temper with those guys like she had with the security guy Neil Fleck. He really did not blame her for blowing her top with the arrogant man. Fleck was a short guy, maybe reaching five and a half feet, with short, dirty blonde hair, a mustache, and beady eyes. He also had an attitude problem that needed to be readjusted, from what Duo could tell. When he had gotten to the office, Bella had pulled him into the conference room, and raged at him for nearly half an our until he had stormed out of the office, slamming the door and calling Bell a number names that not even Duo wanted to repeat. The guy had been mad beyond all reason, but when Bella had exited the room, she looked calm and collected.

Duo was seriously starting to wonder if this woman had split personalities or something.

"It's all clear, Mr. Maxwell." Corey said. "Everything checked out clean. You sure know what you're doing, don't you?"

"I try." Duo grinned, sitting on the desktop. "Did you set up the new security parameters?"

"Sure did. I even added that little surprise for anymore would-be hackers." she grinned. The phone suddenly rang and Corey punched the speaker phone button on the console.

"SaucierCorp. Ms. Saucier's office. Corey speaking. How can I help you?" she asked.

"Corey? Is Bella there?" came a man's voice.

"She's in an emergency meeting right now, Mr. Covington, sir." Corey said. "Something I can do for you?"

"No." he said. "That's okay. I had heard that you guys were having some problems, and thought I'd call to see if everything was okay. I heard that the refining plants were in some trouble, and the transport carriers."

"We're having some problems alright." Corey said. "How'd you find out?"

"Marguerite told me."

"She did, did she?" Corey asked, rolling her eyes. "Well, I'll be."

"Is Bella alright, though?"

"Just madder than a hornet right now. Now that I really blame her."

"Well, when she gets out, tell her I called, will you?"

"I will, sir." Corey said. "Have a good evening."

"You too, Corey." he answered, hanging up the phone.

"How in the Hell did she find out about this?" Corey fumed. "No one else knew about the plants and the carriers except us." Duo shrugged and was about to say something when the door to the conference room opened and Bella and her Vice President came out.

"Well, what's the verdict?" Corey asked.

"Things are getting back to normal." Bella said. "The corruptions in the databases at the refining plants were fixed. Security has been doubled at all space ports and docking ramps, and the research labs are on red alert."

"How're things here?" Daniel asked.

"Back up and ready to go, thanks to Mr. Maxwell." Corey said. "This guy knows what he's doing, Belle. He even managed to track down the hacker who done all this."

"Did you notify the authorities?" Daniel asked quickly.

"Of course." Duo said. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Good." Bella said. "I don't know how much help they'll be, but it's better than not reporting it."

"Your dad called, Belle." Corey said. "Just a second ago."

"What'd he want?"

"Nothing. Marguerite told him there had been problems here and at the refining plants, and he wanted to see if everything was alright."

"How'd my snake of a sister know about that?" Bella asked,"They're on the other side of town and she's supposedly been in meetings all day."

"Don't know." Corey said. "But your dad wanted to talk to you. You might want to call him back." Bella looked over at the wall clock and frowned.

"They're back in evening meetings." she said. "I don't want to disturb him."

"Well, seeing as how, we've got things settled here," Daniel said, "I'm going downstairs to get something from the vending machines. You guys want something while I'm going?"

"I'm fine." Duo said.

"Belle?"

"I don't want anything either." she said.

"Corey?"

"I'll go with you." she said, standing from the chair and stretching. "I'm tired of sitting down." The two people exited the room and Bella sat down in her chair, her head lying on her hands, which were on the desk.

"You alright, Bella?" Duo asked, looking at her carefully.

"I'm fine." she said, her voice muffled against the desk top. "Exhausted, but fine. I've still got mountains of work to do before I go home though." She looked up at Duo and frowned. "Why don't you take my vehicle and head back to the house. I know Heero's got you on night patrol. You need to get some rest before they get back, don't you? I'll take a cab back later tonight."

"I'll be okay." he said. "I've pulled all nighters before. How much longer you going to be here?"

"All night." she said, slumping down into her chair.

"You're going to spend the night here?" he asked.

"Sure, I've done it before." she answered, shrugging. "It's nothing new to me." Duo just sat down in a chair as he watched her sort through a stack of paperwork on her desk. This little woman was something else. She might be small, but the amount of respect she commanded impressed him. Duo was good with handling disasters, but he was not too good with handling panicking people. And the way she had handled her employees had genuinely impressed him earlier. After another half hour or so, the door to the office came open and Daniel and Corey walked in, carrying two cups of coffee.

"What are you doing now, Boss?" Daniel asked, looking at Bella and frowning.

"Just going through the printouts." she said easily. "I'm afraid it's going to take us a while to figure out how the hell this happened."

"Uh, boss?" Daniel said. "You're on vacation time now."

"What?"

"You know. A vacation." Corey said. "The time you take off once a year when you do absolutely no work whatsoever."

"If you think I'm leaving this building to go on a vacation after what just happened, you're both dead wrong." she said, glaring at them. "What if it happens again?"

"It won't." Daniel said. "You said yourself that the security has been upped. No one in their right mind would try to do this again." Bella looked at her vice-president and frowned.

"I'm not taking a vacation." she said. "I'll reschedule it for later."

"Like Hell you're not!" Corey said. "You got us back on our feet, now let Daniel and I handle things until you get back."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!" she said. "And that's final!"

"Help us out here, Mr. Maxwell." Daniel asked, turning to Duo. "What are the odds of another attack happening within the next three weeks?"

"Less than slim." Duo answered. "With the increase in security, not to mention what we did to the computer system, no one's going to be able to get through for a good while. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about." He looked over at Bella and nodded, knowing that she caught onto the hidden meaning in that. They had kept it under wraps that Duo was actually a Preventor assigned to protect the Vice Foreign Minister, passing him over as an old college friend of Belladonna's.

"Gang up on me, why don't you." Bella muttered, shifting more papers around. Corey walked over and took the papers out of her hands, pulled her up from the chair and pushed her towards the Duo.

"Get her out of here." she ordered Duo. "And don't let her come back into this building for three weeks, do you understand me?" Duo nodded, a grin on his face at seeing Bella seething with anger at her employee and friend.

"Benedict Arnold." Bella muttered.

"Nope. My name is Corey Schiro." she said with a grin. "And he's Daniel Marks." She pointed to the red headed man to her left. "And we're the acting bosses of this company until our beloved C.E.O. and wonderful boss, the esteemed Ms. Saucier returns from her vacation."

"You're outnumbered, Belladonna." Duo laughed, slinging an arm around the shorter woman. "Might as well give it up. They mean it."

"But...."

"If anything happens, we'll call you immediately." Daniel said, reassuring her. "Things will start up first thing in the morning, and everything will be fine. So get out!"

"Quit telling me what to do." Bella said. "I'm still your boss, and I can still fire you."

"My boss is on vacation, and therefore off the company clock." he pointed out. "So she can't fire me until she gets back on the clock, which won't happen for another three weeks. Sorry." Bella growled and made for her laptop, determined to bring it with her if nothing else, but Corey intercepted her and shut the lid, placing the notebook in the desk drawer, away from its owner.

"Corey!" she yelled frustratingly.

"Bella!" Corey and Daniel said simultaneously. Duo grinned and shook his head.

"Let's go, Belladonna." he said. "They're not going to back down, and you know it."

"Fine." Bella said huffily, grabbing her keychain and her cell phone. "Let's go, Duo. And I swear that if anything, and I mean ANYTHING, happens again, you had better call me. Or both of you will be without jobs when I get back. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly." Daniel said.

"Crystal." Corey chimed in. "Now get her out of here, Mr. Maxwell."

"Gladly." Duo said, easily picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder. "Bye ya'll. Nice meeting you."

"DUO! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" she yelled, pounding on his back with her fists. "YOU'RE GOING TO DROP ME!"

"Aww, be quiet, Bella." he said, shutting the door and walking past Gracie in the waiting room. "You're not heavy enough for me to drop."

"Have a good vacation, Belladonna." Gracie laughed, waving at her boss. Duo pushed the down button on the elevator and walked in when the doors slid open.

"Maxwell, I swear if you don't put me down, you're going to regret it." she threatened, punctuating her threat with a sharp pound on his back.

"Now, where are those keys?" Duo asked, patting her jean pockets, completely ignoring her. "Ah! Here they are." He felt the outline of the key in her back pocket and quickly reached in her pocket and retrieved it.

"Think you can keep your hands to yourself?" she bit out.

"Think you can calm yourself down now?" he asked her, laughing as she started cursing him again. "You've got to learn to control that temper, missy." he teased her. "That's just not healthy to have that much anger inside you. Reminds me of Wufei."

"Are you going to put me down now, Maxwell?" she asked as he stepped out of the elevator and onto the first floor.

"Are you going to quit cursing me and any of my offspring born in the next two centuries?" he asked back. Bella growled and went slack in his arms.

"Fine." she said. "I apologize."

"That's better." Duo said. "And after all I done for you today. You were being so mean to me." He pouted playfully and Bella shook her head.

"You asked for it, mister." Bella said, crossing her arms over her chest irritably. Duo just shook his head. She was in that sour mood again, and it looked like it was worse this time around.

"Come on." he said. "You've got to go to the grocery store, right?" Bella nodded and they headed out of the building, with Bella giving the directions to the nearest supermarket.

By the time they got out of the supermarket and back to the plantation house, Bella had cooled off and had about an hour to fix dinner. Duo went off to bed to try and catch a few hours sleep before he had to take the evening watch, and Bella promised to leave him some food on the counter he could warm up before starting his shift, so he was happy.

When her father got home that evening with Relena and the rest of the household and guests, Bella refrained from mentioning the problems she had encountered that day at the office. Surprisingly, Marguerite mentioned nothing, and a dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread was quickly devoured. The talk of the evening revolved around the meetings and the impact many of the representatives from the colonies were having on the Senator's views and ideas. Bella, who usually kept up with what was being said, drifted off into her own little world, trying to figure out who in the hell had decided to attack her company. Later on, Rita volunteered to clean the kitchen up, and Bella held no argument. She just wanted to go to bed and get some rest. It had been a horrible day, and sleep was the first thing on her _'to do' _list.

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_A/N - Okay, the problems have begun. Wonder what's going to happen next? Stay tuned and you'll find out sooner than you think._

_Later,_

_A.A_.

_Oh, and remember to leave me a review. I want to know what you guys think about this story. Later. :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer- It's not mine. Never was. Lyrics to the song used belong to the performer, Christiana Millian, or whoever wrote it._

_A/N - I have a feeling that not too many people are actually reading this story. I'm getting absolutely no feedback......_

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Duo's Dilemma

Chapter 5

"Have a good day, ya'll." Bella said, wiping her hands on a dish towel she had tucked into the waist of her jeans. "Good luck at the meetings." Her father smiled and closed the doors behind him as he and Relena exited the room along with Mr. Covington and his wife. It was Tuesday morning and the politicians were leaving for the second official day of meetings. Bella turned back around to finish the large amount of breakfast dishes that had accumulated due to the mansion's occupants and sighed. "Might as well get to work." she mused. "Not like I can do anything else constructive." She suddenly thought of her office building and wondered if her red headed vice president had encountered anymore problems since yesterday. Daniel was definitely capable of handling pretty much any dire situation that could come up at the office, short of what had happened yesterday of course, but she was still worried.

It had been nearly six months since the last time anything majorly detrimental had happened at the office, and this latest attack had unsettled her. Bella knew she had made a number of enemies over the years because of her ruthless business ways, as well as the rumors of her purposely stealing already trained workers from other major companies. It was not her fault people left their positions at other corporations and came to her for work. She treated her employees with respect, and as human beings, not just some number in an overly large system.

She stared at the phone hanging on the wall for a few decisive seconds, weighing her options.

She could call the office and find out if everything was okay. Of course, that ran the risk of Gracie hanging up on her the second she realized who it was.

She pulled her hands out of the sudsy dish water and wiped them dry, walking over to where the cordless phone hung on the wall. She picked it up and quickly dialed the number to her office, waiting for Gracie to pick up. She did not have to wait long.

"Ms. Saucier's office. This is Gracie speaking. How may I help you?" came her secretary's perky voice.

"You can help me by telling me if my company is still standing." Bella said, leaning up against the wall. There was a moment of silence before the woman on the other end recognized the voice of her boss. Unfortunately, the next sound she heard was not Gracie's voice....but the monotone sound of the dial tone coming from the phone line.

Bella blinked in surprise, wondering if the line had been disconnected by accident somehow, but the she realized that the line had not been disconnected.

She'd been hung up on by her own secretary!

She frowned and hung up, re-dialing the number to her office directly. Daniel would be in her office going over the last of the month end reports before they had to be sent off. After two rings, he picked up the phone.

"SaucierCorp. Daniel Marks speaking." he said crisply.

"Why did Gracie hang up on me?" Bella asked tartly, getting straight to the point with her vice president.

"Because you're supposed to be on vacation and not worrying about this place." Daniel answered. "I thought we covered this already, boss."

"What's going on down there?" Bella asked, ignoring his rhetorical question. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes." he said firmly. "The world has not come crashing down because you were not here this morning."

"What about the month end reports?" she asked. "Are they finished?"

"Boss, if you call this office again, I'm going to tell everyone in this damned place to hang up on you." he said. "I'll get the police to bar you from this very building if I have to in order to make you take some time off."

"You wouldn't!" Bella exclaimed. "It's MY company!"

"That's what you think, boss." he said happily, and Bella could almost see his mischievous grin. "Try me."

"Daniel...." she started, but was cut off by the sound of the dial tone once again.

She'd been hung up on.

Again!

"This is ridiculous!" she all but shouted, slamming the receiver onto the charger. "The nerve of that man!"

"Hey, what's all the noise about?" came a sleepy voice from the doorway opposite of her. Bella turned around and spotted Duo coming into the kitchen. The Preventor had been on night patrol again, and he looked like he needed to catch up on the hours of sleep he missed while he had been working on the computer system yesterday at her office.

"My employees have apparently banned me from my own office building." Bella growled. "I tried to call them, and got hung up on. Twice!" Duo just chuckled and began searching for something to eat for breakfast. His shift _'officially' _ended every morning once Heero and Wufei got Relena on the road to the conference hall, so he used the next half hour or so to get something to eat.

"Breakfast over already?" he whined, finding nothing but a stack of dirty dishes in the sink. Bella nodded and turned back to her sudsy water and plates.

"You missed it." she said. "Give me a few minutes and I'll fix you something. You look like you could use some rest. You can eat and then go to sleep."

"Thanks for being so sympathetic." Duo mumbled absently, watching as she pulled out a couple of eggs and a pack of bacon from the refrigerator.

"I told you it was going to take a while to fix the problem at the office." she scolded him. "It's your own fault for coming with me, not that I'm ungrateful, mind you. We'd have never gotten everything back together without your help. I just didn't want to take you away from what you were supposed to be doing, guarding Relena." Duo just grinned and shook his head.

"Heero sleeps with Relena every night." he said with a yawn. "Even if someone did get past me during the night patrol, they'd have to contend with a very murderous Heero Yuy."

"Not exactly the nice type when 'Lena's involved, is he?" Bella asked, smiling at the braided man.

"He'll go from Mr. Cool, Calm and Collected to cold-blooded-no-emotions-protector in about 1.2 seconds." Duo said. "It's not a pretty sight, especially for someone who tries to get their hands on Princess." Bella nodded, dishing up the eggs and bacon for the man after a few more minutes of companionable silence.

"I still owe you for what you did yesterday." she said, grabbing for her mug of half-cooled coffee after she handed him the plate of food. "What can I do to show my appreciation. You name it, you got it." Duo quirked an eyebrow, but refrained from suggesting something that would more than likely wind up with her throwing a frying pan at him.

"Anything?" he asked.

"Anything."

"I want brownies." he said with a grin. "A whole bunch of them." Bella eyed the man curiously, wondering if he was so sleep deprived that his mind was not functioning correctly.

"Brownies?" she asked. "That it?"

"Yep." Duo said. "Ones with lots of nuts on them. Walnuts preferably, but I'm not picky."

"Okay, brownies with walnuts." she said, nodding her head. "Any other specifications."

"I want'em by dinner." Duo said.

"Somehow, I figured that." Bella said, smiling as she finished off her coffee and turned back to her sink of dishes. "I'll have them for you." Duo grinned once again and finished off his breakfast in record time. By the time he had finished, Bella had loaded the dishwasher and started it. The braided man stood up from the bar and stretched, pulling the weary muscles back into working order.

"I'm going to catch some z's." he said, picking up his plate and taking it to the sink.

"Good. You look like hell warmed over." she teased. Duo just grinned and saluted her, not really in the mood for the bantering they usually had.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"Work on my speech for the Summit Meeting." she said, shrugging. "Then go brush down the horses in the stabled." Duo nodded and shrugged.

"Later." he said.

"Sleep well, Duo." she answered absently.

Later that evening.....

Once again, Bella found herself in the kitchen, but this time, she was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. She had finished her speech, but there were still some rough spots in it, and she planned on polishing it up after dinner. Duo had been absent since earlier that day, and she figured he was still asleep. The clock on the wall chimed five times, and she knew her father and the others would be home soon enough. __

_'Well,'_ she thought, pulling out a mixing bowl and the ingredients needed to make a salad, _'I might as well get to work.'_ She turned up the radio that her step mom had placed in the kitchen window and got to work.

Half and hour later...

Duo descended the stairs quickly, following the enticing scents that were emanating from the general direction of the kitchen. _'She's cooking again.'_ he thought, grinning. _'Good, cause I'm hungry.'_ He walked down the small hall way and was about to enter the kitchen when he heard the strains of music coming from the kitchen. He walked over to the door and peered in, a huge grin coming to his face when he saw Bella.

The young woman was prancing around the kitchen, bopping her head and swaying her hips to the fast, up beat tune that was playing on the radio. She was wearing a pair of cut off khaki shorts and a black wife beater, which was currently covered in flour as far as Duo could see. Bella held a large silver mixing bowl in her hands, but he couldn't see what she was mixing, although he had a fleeting suspicion it was the brownies she had promised him because he saw the bag of chopped walnuts on the counter.

There were already a number of pots and pans on the stove, bubbling away, the pungent smell of Cajun spices filling the air. It looked like she had been hard at work for a little while, but Duo's attention was resting only on the young woman in front of him, who had just changed her dancing movements as another song came on the radio, still completely oblivious to her audience.

Duo saw her grab a paper towel and turn to throw it away in the garbage can, but he ducked out of the way and managed to not bee found by her. When he stuck his head back into the doorway, he saw that the shirt was practically colored white from the flour she was using. She continued to dance on, mixing the contents of the bowl.

_'This is so out of character for her.'_ he thought, smiling at her childishness. _'It's almost cute. Where's a camera when I need one?'_ He watched for a little longer, taking in her form and just generally enjoying the lighter side to the woman. She was definitely a pretty woman, with brown, slightly wavy hair and big, expressive blue eyes. She was healthy, not too thin, but with enough meat on her bones to make her body curvy.

Duo suddenly caught himself comparing her to Hilde, and just as quickly realized that there was no comparison between the two women. Sure, they were both independent, and hard headed, but there were a number of things completely different about them, and he was beginning to think he liked the differences Bella presented.

The latest song ended, and another quickly came on to replace it. And the nosey Preventor's eyes bugged out when Bella's motions turned a more...provocative when the opening bars of the song started and he heard the heavy bass of the beat.

_**Says he wants you **_

_**Says he needs you**_

_**It's real talking when I make him wait for you**_

_**If he really wants you**_

_**If he really needs you**_

_**Take your time and feel him out.**_

_**When is a good boy**_

_**I mean a really, really good boy?**_

_**Why not let him lay with you?**_

_**That's when you give it to him good**_

Duo stood there, watching the owner and C.E.O. of one of the world's foremost companies pull dance moves out of thin air that would put choreographers to shame. _'This should be illegal!'_ he thought, his eyes glued to her hips as they dipped down and moved suggestively from side to side. _'Where did she learn to dance like that?'_ He felt a little guilty for watching her, knowing that she didn't realize he was standing there. But he was a guy.

What was he supposed to do? Ignore her?

Not likely!__

_**Dip it low**_

_**Pick it up slow**_

_**Roll it all around**_

_**Poke it out like your back broke**_

_**Pop pop pop that thing**_

_**I'ma show you how to make your man say 'Ooo'**_

Bella continued to dance, her mind completely seated on the brownie batter in front of her, and not the song she was dancing to. She had always played a radio while she cooked, and dancing along with the songs had become second nature to her, ever since she had taken those couple of Contemporary Dance classes when she was in finishing school just so that her GPA would get a decent boost. She absently grabbed the bag of walnuts and poured 3/4 of them in, saving the others for the topping on the brownies she had promised Duo.

_**You getting bold**_

_**He's growin' cold**_

_**It's just the symptoms of young love**_

_**Growin' old.**_

_**You think it's time **_

_**And your thinking of leaving**_

_**But give it time**_

_**It's late at night**_

_**He's coming home**_

_**Meet him at the door with nothing on**_

_**Take him by the hair**_

_**Let him know what's on**_

_**If you understand me**_

_**Ya'll come on**_

Duo still stood there, his arms crossed across his chest as he regarded the woman before him, shaking his head as he wondered if she would be doing this if she realized that he was standing there. _'Probably not.'_ he thought. _'So I had better enjoy this while it lasts. So much better than looking at the ceiling in my room.'_

_**All my ladies wind it up **_

_**If you know just how to move**_

_**All my fellas jump behind**_

_**And show her what you want to do**_

_**Show her what you got daddy**_

_**All my ladies wind it up**_

_**If you know just how to move**_

_**All my fellas jump behind**_

_**And show her what you want to do**_

Bella finished mixing the bowl of batter and began searching around for a pan to bake them in. She had made a big batch, knowing that Duo would eat half of them on his own before anyone else ever got some. She bent down and stuck her hand into a drawer where the baking pans were. When she found the one she wanted, she stood up and turned around to get some non-stick cooking spray to put on it when she spotted Duo in the doorway. Surprised, she dropped the pan onto the tiled floor, automatically reaching to turn the volume down on the radio behind her.

The look on Duo's face was a mix of a grin of surprise, and a smirk of knowing appreciation. She flushed crimson and turned around, putting her back to him, and trying to calm down from her embarrassment of getting caught acting so childish.

"How long have you been standing there?" She managed to croak out. Duo only folded his arms and grinned even harder, quickly picking up on her embarrassment and uncomfortableness.

"Oh, I got here about....three or four songs ago." he said teasingly. "Nice moves, by the way." Bella just turned around and glared at the ex-pilot, but found no justifiable reason to get angry with him. It was her own fault for being caught prancing around the kitchen. So, in retaliation of his teasing, she put her bull-shit meter up to full blast and turned to face him.

"Thanks for the compliment." she said airily, quickly regaining her composure. "It's amazing what you can learn in a finishing school."

"You learned how to do that in finishing school?" he asked, his eyes wide in shock.

"Amongst other things." she said with a mischievous grin and a wink in Duo's direction. The braided pilot, picking up on her banter, pulled up a barstool.

"So, what ya cooking this time?" he asked.

"Food." she said simply, turning to rescue her pan from the floor where she had dropped it.

"What kind of food?" Duo asked, wanting more of an answer.

"Food you eat." she said, still not completely answering his question.

"Can you be a little more specific?"

"Yes."

"Will you?" he queried.

"No."

"Why not?" he whined.

"Because I don't want to." she said simply, cocking an eyebrow at him and spraying the pan to keep her brownies from sticking. Duo, who knew she was only joking with him, got off the barstool and was about to pick up one of the lids off a pot on the stove when Bella popped his hand with a metal spoon.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Duo asked, shaking his hand in mock defeat.

"Payback." she answered primly. "For not telling me you were standing in the doorway." She put the spoon into the batter and was about to pour it into the baking dish. "That's what you get for spying on me!" Duo smiled and decided that he wanted to see exactly how far she would take his teasing before she retaliated.

"You were the one dancing around." he pointed out smoothly. "I was just watching the show." Bella's face once again flushed red, but she said nothing in her defense because he spoke the truth. "Too bad I didn't have a camera."

"Maxwell...."

"Wait a minute.." he said, striking a thoughtful pose. "I forgot! Heero and I installed the security cameras in the main rooms when we got here!"

"I'm warning you....."

"That means I've got a taped copy of your little performance."

"Duo...."

"Wonder what your employees will think when they see it?"

"You're stretching my patience, Maxwell....."

"They should get a good laugh." Duo said, turning as if he was going to leave the kitchen. "In fact, I'm going to go get that tape now. I probably need to make a few copies for safety purposes."

"Don't you dare!" Bella said, eyeing him critically. Duo just turned around and gave her a devilish smile.

"And what are you going to do to stop me, Ms. Saucier?" he asked. When the fuming woman said nothing, Duo grinned and turned to walk out once again. He was almost out the door and into the living room when Bella stopped him.

"Duo?!" she called out helplessly, her voice begging him not to go anywhere near a tape of her dancing.

"Yeah?" Duo asked, walking into the kitchen backwards, and turning to face Bella. _Splat! _"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!!!???" Bella laughed as her spoonful of brownie batter hit the pilot smack in the middle of the face, causing the gooey liquid to start running down his nose. She picked up the rest of the bowl and sauntered over to the ex-Gundam pilot.

"Now, about that tape." she said, one hand on her hip and the other holding the batter.

"You hit me with brownie mix, then expect me to hand you the tape?" he asked skeptically.

"Unless you want the rest of this bowl in your head and your precious braid," she threatened, "you'll give me that blasted tape." Duo, who had no intention of listening to her, sighed in mock defeat and nodded, acting as though he would comply with her ultimatum.

"Fine, just hand me a dish towel. This stuff is burning my eyes." he said. Bella, who believed she had won the little battle, smirked and set the bowl of batter on the counter in order to get him a towel.

Big mistake.

As soon as her back was turned, Duo swiped the bowl of mix and unceremoniously plunked it down on her head. He burst out laughing at her surprised face, slowly turning into anger in front of his eyes.

"Maxwell..you are going to die for this." she said evilly, pulling the bowl off of her head. Brownie batter was dripping down her head and Duo used his finger to nab a bit off her cheek and taste it.

"You're not going to do anything." he said, doubling over from the force of his laughter. "You're out of brownie mix!" Bella, who quickly spied her next weapon grabbed a nearby canister and walked over to the laughing Preventor.

"Who said I only used brownie batter?" she asked wickedly. Duo stopped laughing and was going to look up when he felt something cool hit his back, and a cloud of white surround him. "Flour works just as well. And look! I got it all in your braid......Oopsie!" Duo stood and pulled his braid over his shoulder, assessing the damage she had caused the precious strands. Sure enough, there was flour all over it. He looked back at Bella, who was staring at him, a confident smirk on her face, despite the rivulets of chocolate batter running down her neck.

"You brought the braid into it now." he said, the playful glint back in his eyes. "You do realize, this means war."

"Bring it on, pretty boy." Bella said, taking refuge behind the counter and arming herself with a number of bags and canisters. "If you think you're man enough to take me down, that is."

"Oh, I'm more than enough." Duo smirked, grabbing the egg carton from the counter top and ducking behind the kitchen table. "You're going down, right now."

"We'll see about that!" she yelled.

Half an hour later....

When Senator Covington and Relena finally arrived back at the plantation mansion, they were more than ready for some relaxation. Unfortunately, the sight that greeted them was anything but.

As soon as they all stepped out of the vehicles, they heard the yells and screams of Duo and Bella coming from the kitchen, along with the crashes and bangs of breaking plates and glasses.

"What in heaven's name is going on?" Rita Covington asked, walking over to her husband. "That's Bella's voice!"

"Get back in the car, everyone." Heero ordered, pulling out his gun from the holster and nodding to Wufei. "Chang! Watch them. If you see anything suspicious, get them out of here. I'll go see what's going on." Another crash was heard, along with the breaking of glass, and Bella's angry voice.

"TAKE THAT!!! YOU BLOODY MORON!" she screamed.

"GET BACK OVER HERE! I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET!!!" Duo's voice rang out. Heero shook his head and made for the door, checking quickly for signs of forced entry. He rushed into the house, gun drawn and ready to fire. The struggle was emanating from the kitchen, so he made his way over, only to hear laughter coming from the other side of the open doorway. _'What's going on?'_ he asked himself. _'What the Hell has Maxwell done now?'_

__"Can't catch me!" came Bella's taunting voice. "You're too slow Duo!"

"Slow?" came Duo's outrageous reply. "I'll show you who's slow! Come here!"

"Ahhhh!!" came Bella's scream. Another crash was heard along with Duo's triumphant cheer. Heero peeked around the corner of the door, only to find the once pristine kitchen a disaster area...and Duo and Belladonna lying in the middle of the floor of food. Seemed like they had started a food fight, and at the moment, Heero believed his partner was winning. The braided man had Bella pinned down on the floor with his knees, preventing her from retaliating in any form, other than yelling at him.

"Got ya now!" Heero heard the jovial young man say . "Payback time."

"Duo, don't you even think about it! You're in enough hot water with me as it is!!" she threatened.

"You should have thought about that before you dumped flour on my head." Duo said, reaching up on the counter and grabbing something. Apparently, it was something bad, because Bella started protesting loudly, causing Duo to laugh.

"Not that! Anything but that!" she cried, trying to wriggle free of her captor.

"Begging for mercy now?" Duo taunted.

"Yes!" Bella yelled. "Not that! Please not that! You can keep the damned video tape if you want to! If I'd have known they were in here, I'd never done it to begin with! Duo! AHHHHHH! THAT'S COLD YOU BASTARD!!!!" Heero put his gun in his holster and leaned up against the wall, waiting for one of them to notice him. _'There's no camera's in the kitchen.'_ he thought. _'What is she talking about?'_

"Give up yet?" Duo taunted.

"Get off of me!" Bella yelled. "And get rid of that dammed ice cube!"

"Say uncle, and I'll let you go." he teased. Apparently, she refused, because the head PReventor heard the girl yell again. He also picked up the sounds of approaching footsteps behind him. Whirling around, he found Senator Covington and his family, as well as Chang and Relena coming into the hallway.

"What is going on?" Kenneth Covington asked.

"Where's Bella?" Rita Covington asked, the concern evident on her face.

"Never mind her." Marguerite snapped. "Where's Duo?"

"They're in the kitchen." Heero said morosely. "Nothing's wrong. It's those two goofing off."

"GET OFF OF ME, DUO!!!" Bella yelled, and another crash was heard.

"No! I'm not finished with you yet!" came Duo's amused voice.

"Like Hell you aren't!!" Bella screamed. Heero stepped aside as the Covingtons made their way to the doorway that led into the kitchen.

Their reactions were immediate. Rita Covington looked horrified, Marguerite looked utterly pissed, and Senator Covington tried to hid a snicker. Wufei was regarding them with obvious disdain, and Relena had to put her hand over her mouth to stop the laughter from escaping at the sight.

At the moment, Duo was lying down on the floor, covered in food, and laughing at a struggling Bella, who was sitting on his chest, trying to break his grip on her flailing wrists. Bella was covered from head to toe in food. And the kitchen floors, doors, cabinets, and appliances were just as coated. The table was overturned, and the refrigerator and cabinet doors were open and dripping with food. Everything was a disaster, and the culprits were blissfully unaware of them.....until Marguerite's angry voice caught their attention. Apparently, the younger sister was not happy with seeing Duo and her older half sister in such a compromising position, and laughing at each other.

"What happened in this place!" she yelled, causing Bella to stop her struggle and Duo to look at the doorway full of people.

"Damn." Duo mumbled, catching Heero's intense glare.

"Shit." Bella grumbled. "I forgot about them." She quickly scrambling off of Duo and standing up, her face as read as a tomato. "Uh...hey everyone. How were the meetings? Everything go well?"

"What. Happened." Marguerite questioned, glaring at her.

"Uh...well...." Duo said, "It started with a bowl of brownie mix, and....."

"We had a food fight, Marguerite." Bella said sternly, her happy mood utterly gone, and ice in her voice. Marguerite was about to say something else when her mother jumped in.

"This place is a disaster!" Rita Covington exclaimed, turning to the guilty pair. "What do you have to say for yourselves? Two fully grown adults, rolling around on the floor in piles of food!"

"Leave'em alone, honey." Kenneth Covington said. "No need to get on them. They're adults, and perfectly capable of rectifying their mistakes by cleaning the kitchen up." Rita immediately backed down and frowned, turning to look at the damage in her kitchen. Bella mouthed a silent '_thank-you_' to her dad, but he only winked at her in response.

"Really, Belladonna!" Rita said, drawing the attention back to herself.

"Sorry, Rita." Bella said, trying not to smile.

"Yeah, sorry, Mrs. Covington." Duo said. "Didn't mean for it to get so out of hand."

"And they call me the immature one!" Marguerite fumed. "This is something a couple of six year olds would do, not two grown people!"

"Oh, freeze up, Marguerite!" Bella snapped. "You're not the one cleaning it up. And you wouldn't know fun if it slapped you in the face!"

"Why you...." Marguerite started.

"That's enough!" Mrs. Covington said firmly. "Don't start you two! I want this mess cleaned up tonight. Is that understood?"

"It'll be cleaned up, Rita." Bella said placatingly. "Even if I have to make Maxwell eat every bit of it off the tiles. Since it is all his fault anyways! Him and his blasted cameras." Duo stiffened in outrage, but said nothing, reading the warning signs of Heero's disapproval from where he stood.

"But there are no cameras in here." Wufei pointed out. "Only around the grounds." Bella looked at the Chinese Preventor in surprise. Then cut her eyes to Duo, glaring at him for all he was worth.

"No camera's, huh?" she growled, pointing to the now guilty looking Duo. "That's not what he told me."

"I don't care if there are cameras all over this household." Rita said. "I want my kitchen back the way it was!" Rita and Marguerite whirled around and left the kitchen in a huff, but everyone else stood there, looking at the two people covered in food.

"Maxwell." Heero said.

"Yeah?"

"Get this cleaned up and report to your patrol." he said stoically.

"Yes, sir." Duo said, grinning at his superior. Bella looked over at Relena, who was turning red from trying not to laugh at them. She sighed and put her hands on her hips.

"Let it out, 'Lena." she said. "You're about to burst over there." Laughter was suddenly ringing through the kitchen as Relena let out the pent up humor.

"I'm sorry." she said, calming herself down a few moments later. "I just....seeing you two....I couldn't help myself."

"Obviously." Bella said, picking shreds of lettuce out of her hair. Duo pulled his braid over his shoulder, only to find it covered in sugar, flour, egg shells, and a number of other unidentifiable foodstuffs.

"You better get this cleaned up before Rita has a heart attack." her father said. "Do you need some help?"

"No. It's okay, daddy." Bella said. "We'll clean it up. But, you guys are going to have to order pizza or something, seeing as how my dinner was turned into charcoal about half an hour ago." Her father just laughed and shook his head, herding Relena out of the filthy kitchen and into the living room. When they were out of earshot, Duo turned to Bella, a grin on his face.

"So, you think they were mad at us?" he asked.

His only answer was a handful of jello thrown at his head.

By the time they had gotten the kitchen clean, about three hours later, Duo had just enough time to grab a shower and get ready to take his nightly patrol positions. He was still grinning from ear to ear with the victory he'd won over Belladonna during the food fight. The girl had spunk, that was for sure.

He pulled on a jacket and stepped out into the cool February night air, watching as his breath clouded in front of him. Everyone was much calmer now that the kitchen had been restored, and he and Bella had removed the remains of the food from themselves. Everyone except Marguerite, who had angrily stormed out of the plantation house, telling her father she would meet them at the conference hall tomorrow morning. He was not sure why she decided to pick up and leave, but it was no skin off his back. Marguerite annoyed him to no end, and not having her around for the night guaranteed he would have a peaceful patrol, unlike the other nights when she was waiting somewhere to ambush him A cold wind blew across the yard, and Duo pulled his jacket closer around him to ward off the chill.

"Looks like you could use something hot to drink." came a soft female voice from the porch behind him. He spun around and saw Bella standing there, holding a steaming cup of what he instantly recognized as coffee.

"It wouldn't hurt." he shrugged, walking up to her and taking the cup with a nod of thanks. "It's cold out here."

"I know." she said. "It's not exactly warm anywhere this time of year." Duo nodded, and continued to sip the drink. "Uh..Duo?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to apologize for the food fight." she said, not looking at him. "I hope you didn't get into too much trouble with Preventor Yuy because of me."

"Don't worry about it." he said. "Everything is fine." Surprisingly, Heero had not done anything to him when he found out how it happened. The ex-Wing Zero pilot just glared, turned, and walked away. Duo had a distinct feeling that his passiveness had been induced by the former queen of the world, Relena Peacecraft.

"I'm glad." she said, smiling at him. Duo nodded and looked down at the cup.

"Mind if I take this with me while I watch tonight?" he asked.

"Go ahead." she shrugged. "There's a whole pot on the stove. Fresh made."

"A step ahead of me, aren't you?" he asked, grinning. Bella smiled and nodded.

"And if you look carefully, there is a plate of walnut brownies next to the microwave. But you didn't hear that from me." she teased.

"You actually made some..." Duo started to ask, but was cut off by the ringing of his cell phone. He fished the phone out and looked at the screen, recognizing the number instantly. He groaned and frowned.

He did not want to talk to Hilde right now.

"Problems?" Bella asked, sensing his hesitance to answer the phone.

"Big problems." he ground out. "In the form of a cheating ex-girlfriend who won't leave me alone." He stayed silent for a few moments, hoping that Hilde would give up and hand up.

No such luck was with him tonight, though.

Bythe fifteenth or sixteenth ring, Duo wanted to wring Hilde's neck. Apparently, so did Bella because she took the phone away from him and frowned.

"Do you want to talk to her, or not?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Need you ask?" Duo said. "I'd be better off is she dropped out of my life completely."

"That's all I needed to hear." she said, pushing a button on the phone to answer it. "Hello?" she asked sweetly. Duo walked over and put his ear to the receiver, waiting to hear what Hilde would do.

"Who is this?" Hilde's suspicious voice asked.

"This is Bella." She answered, a grin on her face and a wink in Duo's direction. "Who's this?"

"My name is Hilde, and I'm looking for Duo." Hilde said. "Is this his phone, or do I have a wrong number?"

"Oh, no, this is Duo's number." Bella said, a saucy little catch in her voice. "But he can't exactly come to the phone at the moment. He's kinda tied up at the moment, if you know what I mean."

"Tied up?" Hilde shrieked. "Is he alright?"

"Oh, he's fine. In fact, I'd venture to say he's enjoying himself rather immensely." Bella said, winking at the dumbfounded Duo. "In fact, I'm beginning to think he has a fetish for leather collars and whips."

"WHAT!!??"

"Oops, sorry, hon." Bella said. "Gotta go. Can't keep my man waiting, now can I? Bye-bye now." And with a smirk at Hilde's outraged voice, Bella hung up the phone, handing it back to Duo, a small grin on her face."Well, that should keep her away for a few days, unless she's like Marguerite and can't take hints."

"Tied up?" Duo asked, looking at the woman in front of him. "Leather collars and whips?" Bella grinned and shook her head. "Couldn't you have thought of something else?"

"It was the first thing that came to mind." she shrugged.

"Perverted woman." he said, his grin widening.

"I am not." she stated primly. "Anyways, it's good to make the ex's furious, especially if they were the ones that cheated. Make them realize what they lost." Duo just shook his head and tried to figure this woman out in front of him. It seemed like every time he had her pegged, she jumped out of the box he had placed her in and surprised him even more.

"I've got to get back to patrols." he said. "Or Heero will skin me alive."

"Try not to catch a chill." she said, looking up at the clear, star filled sky. "About this time of the month, the only way to warm up is cuddling up with someone under a blanket. Seems like it's the only way to ward off a chill after being outside for a long time." She turned to him and smiled evilly. "And Marguerite is gone for the night, so you're out of luck, and I just pissed off your ex. So you are in trouble if it gets any colder."

"You'd let me freeze." Duo whined playfully, wanting to find out what her reaction would be."Cause Relena is taken, and so it your mom. And I am not about to share a blanket with Heero or Wufei."

"No. I wouldn't let you freeze." she smiled. "Night, Duo." The braided Preventor watched her walk into the house with barely concealed amusement.

She wouldn't let him freeze, huh? Well, that could lead to some interesting....situations if he handled his cards correctly.

Suddenly, a memory flashed before his eyes, and he saw Hilde's face the day he had caught her with the other guy at the junkyard. His trust in the female part of the population had been shattered by her, and he was wary of trying to build it up again for the fear of someone else breaking his heart with their deceit and dishonesty.

He shivered, not wanting to remember the way he felt so betrayed and used. _'No point in getting into something like that again.'_ he told himself sternly, stepping down into the yard, cup of coffee in hand. _'Last thing I need right now is getting myself caught up with another woman. Especially one that doesn't even live on the same CONTINENT as me!'_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_A/N - Okay, things are starting to heat up with the two. And Hilde's out making trouble now. You can expect her to pop up a few times in this story, so don't count her out just yet._

_Later,_

_A.A._

_Oh, and remember to leave a review. Unfortunately, I don't seem to be getting any feedback on this story._


	6. Chapter 6

**__**

Disclaimer- It's not mine. It never was. The only thing I own are the characters in this story that have never appeared in the Gundam Wing universe.

A/N - Hey everyone. How's it going? I just wanted to tell everyone that I'm glad the majority that are reviewing seem to be enjoying this story.

And special thanks to:

Ryla - Oh, I'm not stopping it anytime soon. I just hope you get some sleep soon. Sounds like you could use it. ;) And don't worry. There is going to be plenty of action in this thing, at least that's the way I have it planned.

Miss Crazy - I like your name, by the way. ;) Anyhow, thanks for the review, and I'm glad you liked the food fight. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

StaplersBreak- I know what you mean about the het fics. They are hard to find sometimes. And I'm glad you like this story. Hope you enjoy this chappy. Later.

So here is an extra-long chapter, just for all you guys who took the time to review. ;)

Duo's Dilemma

Chapter 6

The next morning, Bella woke up earlier than normal. She'd had a rough night trying to go to sleep, and had just wound up drifting off two hours ago when the dogs started barking and acting up. Since Duo was on patrol, she really did not think anything about it.

It was a little before 5:00 A.M., early for ever her, when she finally decided to get up out of bed. She threw on some baggy, gray jogging pants and an oversized t-shirt she had gotten from her father before going downstairs. Everything was quiet in the house. There was none of the normal noise to be heard.

No cell phones ringing.

No computers beeping.

No radios or televisions going.

No voices at all.

Nothing.

But the lack of sound soothed her soul as she opened the door in the kitchen and looked out, seeing the last few twinkling stars in the sky above her as a slightly chilly breeze blew around her. Bella had always been a morning person, easy to get up, even at the crack of dawn. The silence was peaceful, and she took it for granted. She loved being up early, watching as the sun rose over the tops of the bald cypress and magnolia trees that lined the swamps around her father's home. She loved listening as the nocturnal sounds gave way and disappeared with the morning's birthing rays of light. It was simplistic…nature's way of showing that another day was coming.

And she reveled in it.

It would only be a few more hours before everyone was awake and getting ready for their days work, so she savored the peacefulness while she could. She looked over towards the stables when she heard her dad's horses neigh and stomp their hooves on the ground. She'd have to remember to feed them after breakfast. She turned around and was about to enter back into the kitchen when she heard footsteps coming from around the corner of the house.

"Duo?" she called out. "That you?"

"Yeah, it's me." he said, looking up at her as he walked over. "What are you doing up so darn early?"

"Couldn't sleep." she said, shrugging in indifference. "How's everything around the house? No intruders trying to get in?" Duo smiled and stretched his arms to work the kinks out.

"Nope. All clean and clear." he said with a grin. "No bad guys to be found."

"Well, that's reassuring, at least." Bella said. She looked at him and frowned, noticing that he kept fidgeting around. "You alright, Duo?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." he said, pulling his jacket around him. "It's just cold out here right before dawn. The wind cuts through clothes like a knife!"

"It's the dampness in the air." she said, shrugging. "Makes it feel like it's colder than it really is. Besides, we're in the beginning of February, and that's one of our coldest months down here. Why don't you come inside and warm up a little."

"You volunteering to help me warm up?" he asked with a smirk, referring to their conversation the evening before. Bella regarded him carefully, a small grin on her face.

"I'm volunteering to make some coffee to warm you up." she said. Duo just smiled and shook his head, walking in front of her to enter into the house. She waited until he had passed right by her to whisper, just loud enough for him to hear. "Besides, we can't be doing things like that while you're supposed to be on patrols. What would Yuy think if he caught us? And you don't want to give China-man a heart attack, do you?" Duo stopped dead in his tracks when she said that, and whirled around to stare at her in disbelief.

"What?!" he asked, not sure he had heard her correctly. She only tipped her head in his direction and walked past him, into the house.

"Pick your jaw up off the ground, honey." she called back teasingly. "You're going to be catching flies in that thing." Duo just watched her disappear into the still dark rooms of the house before he finally came to his senses and followed her inside. He was going to get warmed up alright. And how he did it was going to be up to her.

-----------------------------About two hours later…--------------------------

Everyone in the house was congregated around the breakfast table, talking animatedly about what they were going to do that day.

"How long are the meetings going to last today, Relena?" Bella asked her friend as she put a plate of toast down in the center of the table.

"They said something about the meetings being short today." Relena answered. "I didn't find out why, though."

"Daddy?" Bella asked, turning to her father.

"Don't look at me, pumpkin." he said. "I don't know either."

"Well, that's good enough." Bella said. "No point in staying with those stuffy old codgers longer than you have to."

"Bella!" Rita admonished, trying to stop a grin from coming to her face. "Really! You shouldn't talk about them like that."

"I shouldn't, but I do anyways." Bella grinned. Duo snickered and went to reach for another pancake off of the top of the stack.

"Well, you really shouldn't say that." Rita said firmly, although her voice lacked any type of conviction. "It's not right, nor is it polite."

"If I only said polite things to people like them," she said, her hands on her hip. "I'd speak to Marguerite less than what I already do."

"Speaking of her, did she come home last night?" Kenneth Covington asked, peering over at Duo for his answer.

"No sir, she didn't." Duo said, after he swallowed his mouthful of pancakes. "No one came here last night. Everything was quiet." The older man only nodded, but there was a small frown on his face.

"Is there something you needed done, daddy?" Bella asked as she walked back in with more food. "I'll do it today while I'm here."

"I wanted to tell her to call the PR people today and ask about the campaign budget for May." he said. "I meant to do it myself, but I forgot about it."

"Don't worry about it." Bella said. "I'll call them right after breakfast. What do you want to know, just the budget you've been allotted?"

"Yes." he said. "And tell Hien I'm going to be in touch with her soon to plan out the rest of the campaign trips." Bella nodded and was about to walk back into the kitchen to get a pitcher of apple juice, when it seemed suddenly seemed like the world was ending.

There was a sudden sound of breaking glass as the window panes in the kitchen shattered, and bullets embedded themselves into the walls not too far from where she was standing. Out of reflex, she ducked down to get away from the sounds and the flying shards of glass, only to be knocked down and shielded by someone else. She heard her step-mother's screams, as she hit the ground and covered her own head. Her mind faintly processed Heero's curses mixed in with her father's swears, and Duo's quick prayer to God for everyone to be okay.

Her mind quickly resettled itself into another time when bullets and flying glass was around her, and she panicked, remembering all to plainly who had been lying on top of her that fateful day. As well as what had happened to that person. She shook her head as her survival instinct kicked in and she tried to push whoever it was on top of her off, in order to get to her father.

"GET OFF!" she screamed, pushing at the body. "GET OFF OF ME! DADDY! DADDY!!"

"Shut up and be still, Bella!" Duo growled out, hearing another round of shots go off and another half a dozen bullets break window panes and the ornate ceramic plates Rita had decorated her kitchen walls with. "Don't move!"

"DADDY!" she screamed, pounding on Duo's chest. "WHERE'S MY DAD?? OH, GOD, PLEASE! NOT THIS AGAIN!" Duo lifted his head a little and looked down at her, grabbing her face to stop her from pushing at him. Overhead, the crystal vase of calla lilies Rita had cut for a table centerpiece two days before shattered into a million pieces as another bullet hit it. The water spilt over the edge of the counter, pouring onto Duo's back.

"Listen to me, Bella!" he said fiercely, ignoring the water and everything else around him. "Your dad is fine! He's over behind the counter!" Bella twisted her head and saw in fact that her dad was behind the counter, lying on top of Rita in order to shield her away from the breaking glass, while Heero and Relena had ducked into the pantry to get away from the stray bullets. Wufei was crouched down behind the island in the kitchen, his gun up and ready to fire. She watched as the Chinese man quickly ducked over to where Heero was crouched, his own gun out and a trembling Relena behind him. They exchanged a few words and Heero turned around and pushed Relena farther into the pantry before standing and making for the doorway.

The bullets had stopped raining down on them, and Bella could hear the sound of gravel being kicked up and hitting the house before a vehicle's tires caught on the rough driveway material. Duo looked down at her and frowned, using one hand to hold himself above her and another to reach for the gun tucked into the back of his pants.

"Get over into that pantry with Relena!" he said fiercely. "Stay in there and don't come out until one of us come and get you! Got it?!" He could feel her heart beating hard from where he was pressed down on her, and the stark fear in her eyes told him she would not argue with him. He jumped up and ran when he heard Heero's and Wufei's guns shoot off round after round towards the escaping vehicle that carried the attackers.

By the time he got out there a few seconds later, the only thing they could see was a trail of dust where they would be attackers flew out of there running the devil himself was on their tails. Heero just frowned and turned to Duo, his face grim and angry.

"What the in the hell happened, Maxwell?" he barked, picking the shorter man up by his collar. "You said everything was clear! How the hell do you explain this!?"

"It was!" Duo said, his hands going to his partners automatically. "It was! There was no one here when I came in! I swear to God! Ask Wufei!"

"He's telling the truth, Yuy." Wufei said slowly. "I was with him during the last rounds before we went in to eat." Heero slowly let Duo back down to his feet, the glare never leaving his eyes. "Is everyone inside okay?"

"Yes." Wufei answered. "As far as I can tell, Covington and his wife were not hit?"

"And the girl?"

"She's fine." Duo said. "Scared shitless right now, but fine." Heero tucked the gun into his shoulder holster and turned back to the house.

"Get the New Orleans Preventor's Headquarters on the phone, Maxwell." he said firmly.

"Gotcha, buddy." Duo said, dusting off his jacket and pulling his cell phone out of a pocket.

"Wufei, find out how in the hell those bastards got in here without any of us knowing it." Heero growled. "There are cameras set up all over the place, and two damned guard dogs in this yard that bark at anything that moves. Not to mention an electric gate that has code confirmation on it. Find out how that get in here without us knowing it."

"I'm on it." Wufei said, leaving immediately.

"And I'm going to have a talk with Senator Covington." Heero muttered.

"Uh, Preventor Yuy?" Bella's voice called out from the house. "There's something here you might want to take a look at." Heero walked back into the house, stepping around the piles of broken glass and porcelain to take the paper in Belladonna's hand. He scanned over it and frowned.

It was a note, addressed to Kenneth and Rita Covington. And it basically said that unless they quit trying to pass the new proposals the Peace Summit committee had suggested into law, they were going to be killed. There was no name, only the warning, written in blood red ink. He looked up at Bella, who had become ghostly white and shook his head.

"Get yourselves cleaned up and calmed down." he said seriously. "Take Relena into the house and stay away from the kitchen, or any room that has windows in it that lead directly outside." The girl nodded and quickly turned to usher a ridiculously calm looking Relena and her nearly hysterical stepmother into another room, away from the massive mess in the kitchen.

Kenneth Covington walked over to Heero and shook his head.

"Did you see who it was?" he asked, taking the note from Heero's hands and scanning over it.

"They had masks on." Heero said emotionlessly. "But it was two males and one female by the looks of them. They took off in a green SUV, heading towards the East."

"Why didn't you go after them?" he asked angrily.

"And leave all of you here, unprotected to another attack?" Heero asked, looking at the man. "That wouldn't be smart. My men and I are here to keep the Vice Foreign Minister safe. Besides, whoever it was that shot at us slit the tires on all the vehicles out here." Kenneth looked over at the two SUV's and the car sitting off to the side. Sure enough, at least two of the tires on each one was flatter than a pancake.

"I just got off the phone with the Head man at Headquarters." Duo's oddly serious voice was heard. The two men turned their heads and looked at him, expecting more news.

"And?" Heero prompted.

"And it seems like we're not the only ones who got a visit this morning." the braided ex-pilot said. "There were three other reported attacks on other members of the Peace Summit, and another one was being called in while I was on the phone. They're sending in more men, and an investigation squad to find out what happened. The guy said they should be here within the next twenty minutes or so."

"Who else was attacked?" Heero asked. Duo shrugged and shook his head.

"Don't know. They wouldn't tell me." he answered truthfully. "Where is Relena and Bella?"

"They're in the house." Kenneth Covington said. "Along with Rita."

"Maxwell, get in there and watch over them." Heero said, his eyes narrowing into two blue slits. "I'm going to help Chang figure out how in the hell they got through security."

"I'm on it." Duo said.

"DADDY!" came Bella's terrified voice, making the men turn their attention to the porch. "DADDY! THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH DESMADONNA AND EVANGELINE!! I THINK THEY'VE BEEN SHOT!!" Senator Covington took off as soon as he heard his daughter's voice, with Duo and Heero not far behind him. When they rounded the corner of the house, they saw Bella kneeling on the porch between the two still bodies of the German Sheppard's the Covington family kept as guard dogs. Duo knelt down and took a quick look at the dogs while the Senator gathered Bella into a tight hug.

"They're not dead." Duo said, the confusion evident in his voice. "They're asleep." Heero stooped down and began checking the canines over himself.

"Asleep?" the older man asked. "They slept through the attack? Impossible!"

"They've been drugged." Heero said finally, checking them over for himself one more time. "That's why they didn't react to who ever it was in that SUV."

"Drugged?" Bella asked, shaking her head. "But how?"

"When was the last time you fed them?" Heero asked.

"Early this morning, before everyone got up." Bella said. "Just like I do every morning."

"Where's the food?" he asked.

"Over there by the swing." Bella said, jerking her head to the left. Heero got up and walked over to the two containers of food, eyeing them carefully. They looked normal enough, but years of training under Dr. J had taught him to look beyond what was visible.

And it looked like he was going to be doing that a lot today.

-------------------------A few hours later…….-------------------------

By the time the last Preventor jeep had pulled out of the Covington driveway, Bella was ready to pull her hair out, and apparently, so was her father. When the Summit Council had found out about the synchronized attacks, they had cancelled the meetings until further along in the week when everything would be calmed down. That in itself was fine with her, but all the questions and inquiries had started to get on her nerves after the first four hours of it.

Then, to make her nerves even worse, Marguerite had shown up about an hour after the New Orleans Preventors had arrived that morning, and boy did the drama queen in her come out then. She had started crying and saying how worried she was for them. And how she should not have left in such a huff the night before. Bella finally just drowned her out after a while since she couldn't readily tell her off in front of all the officers.

Now, almost twelve hours after the attacks, Bella was collecting her laptop and a few other necessities she needed to go to her own home. The Chief of Police and Head Preventor had suggested that the family split up and go elsewhere for the next few nights until everything settled down. Since both Bella and Marguerite had their own homes, they were going there, while Kenneth and Rita got a hotel room in town somewhere. Bella just wondered where Relena was going to be sent, but that question was answered just as soon as she stepped of the staircase and ran into her dad.

"Belladonna?" he asked. "Do you have what you need?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, daddy." she said. "I'm going to go put it in my truck, then leave. Are you sure you and Rita are going to be okay tonight?"

"We're going to stay at a hotel in town." he said, running his hands through his graying hair. "The Chief of Police will have us surrounded with cops and Preventors all night. So, you don't have to worry."

"I'd still feel better if I was with you." she mumbled, shifting her laptop case to her other shoulder.

"I know, pumpkin." he said, smiling at her gently. "But there is something else I need for you to do for me."

"What?"

"I want Relena and her guards to go with you to your house." he said.

"What?! Why?!" Bella asked, blinking in confusion.

"I'd feel better if Relena went with you." he said. "The Vice Foreign Minister refuses to get on a plane and go home, because she's determined to see these meetings out. I've already spoken to Preventor Yuy, and he agrees with me. Since the letter only named me and Rita, it would make more sense to send her with you instead of keeping her near me. Besides, there are going to be half a dozen Preventors stationed at your house for the next few nights now, anyway." Bella nodded, seeing the logic in her father's reasoning.

"Marguerite is going to her house too, then?" she asked. Covington nodded and walked beside her as she left out of the house to put her stuff in the back of her SUV.

"Yes." he said.

"Not that I'm complaining, or anything, daddy," she said. "But why send Relena with me? Marguerite was not named as a target. Why not send them with her?" Covington took a deep breath and looked carefully at his eldest daughter.

"I know Marguerite wasn't name as a target." he said. "But she's in these meetings just as much as Relena, Rita, and I. It makes more sense to send them with someone who is not a major political figure in these meetings. Besides….something just doesn't sit right when I think about Relena going with Marguerite. It's a gut feeling…"

"I understand, daddy." she said, nodding. "Where's Relena now?"

"Packing up her clothes and belongings." he said. "She should be down in a minute. In fact, I need to go hurry Rita up. I want to be out of here soon." Belladonna nodded and watched as her father went back into the house.

It was times like this when she could see the age in her dad's face. Sure, he was a vivacious person, always laughing and joking with people, but his age was starting to show, despite his excellent health. The gray hairs were few in number, and gave his black hair a dash of color, but they were there none the less. And the laugh lines around his mouth, and the wrinkles around his eyes were starting to become more pronounced as the years passed. He was aging quickly, and she had no doubts that his job played a large factor in that.

She just shook her head and headed back into the house to see if she could help Relena with anything, only to come face to face with her very red faced, very angry younger half sister.

"What the hell is going on, Belladonna?" Marguerite practically screamed, blocking her pathway down the hall. "Who do you think you are?"

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked, her temper with her half sibling going out the window immediately. "You aren't making any sense."

"You know what I'm talking about!" she screeched. "Relena is going with you, when she needs to be focused on the Summit Meetings! You are distracting her from her job!"

"Distracting her from…." Bella repeated, the anger showing in her face. "I'm distracting her from her job? Don't you think her life is a little more important than those damned meetings?! She can't go to the fucking meetings if she's dead, you idiot."

"I know that!" Marguerite yelled. "But….."

"Get off of your damned high-horse, dear little sister." Bella sneered. "You need to get your priorities straightened out, and not get side tracked by your own paranoia!" Marguerite drew back from the venom in her sister's voice, and Bella suddenly recognized the look in Marguerite's eyes, and realized why Marguerite was so angry about Relena going with her. It wasn't because of Relena leaving….it was because of Duo would be going with Relena, and therefore out of Marguerite's sight.

They heard the crack of the stairs and looked upwards, only to see that Relena, Heero, and Duo had came out of their rooms when they heard the sounds of yelling, and were now standing at the top of the banister railing, watching them. Bella's eyes caught Marguerite's horrified face when she saw Duo, and her suspicions were immediately confirmed.

"Ceci n'est pas de Relena, c'est, Marguerite? Ceci est du Duo. Fou parce que s'il part avec Relena, vous ne pourrez pas obtenir a lui, n'est-ce pas?" (This isn't about Relena, is it, Marguerite? This is about Duo. You're mad because if he leaves with Relena, you won't be able to get to him, will you?) Bella asked, slipping into the French she and Marguerite used to lapse into when they argued so their parents would not understand the insults. She saw her sister pale instantly at the accusation, and her own suspicions were once again confirmed.

"Cela n'est pas vrai!" (That's not true!) Marguerite said, shaking her head in denial at her sister's words. "Vous l'egarez, et tirer son attention oin de quel est important maintenant!" (You're distracting her, and pulling her attention away from what is important right now!)

"Vous agissez comme un enfant gate! Vous ne vous rappelez pas ce qu'est arrive la derniere fois voux avez obtenu ce paranoia par-desus un gars vous avez jure j'essayais de voler de vous? Le blessure de Phillip augmente mort, Marguerite. Ou avez-vous oublie cela daga?" ( You're acting like a spoilt child! Don't you remember what happened the last time you got this paranoid over a guy you swore I was trying to steal from you? Phillip wound up dead, Marguerite. Or have you forgotten that already?) Marguerite visibly took a step back as though she had been physically slapped, tears forming in her hardening eyes.

"How dare you?" she growled out.

"How dare you?" Bella asked, cutting her eyes at her. "I don't have any intentions of taking anyone from you, Marguerite. I don't now, and I sure as hell didn't then. But you wouldn't listen to reason and see that, would you?" Bella walked up to Marguerite and glared at her even harder, holding back the impulse to slap the younger woman. "Don't presume to know me, or what I do. Just make sure that when you start threatening and flying off the handle at me, because you think I'm stealing something that rightfully belongs to you, make sure that thing or person is actually yours first. Human beings can't be owned, no matter what you may think in that twisted head of yours. So back the hell off of me."

"Belladonna! Marguerite!" came Senator Covington's voice. "That's enough, both of you." The young women whirled around, only to come face to face with their frowning father. "I don't know what you two are going on about, but now is not the time, nor the place to be arguing, although I have a vague idea of what it's about."

"Daddy…" Marguerite said, trying to placate her father. "We…"

"I don't want to hear it from either of you." he said firmly, looking at them both like they were erring children once again. "This subject is closed." Bella said nothing, and Marguerite held her comments to herself. The tension in the air between the two sisters and their sire was thick, and on the verge of spilling over into physical violence if something did not detract the warring half-siblings.

"Do you have your stuff together, Relena?" Mrs. Covington asked, watching as the Vice Foreign Minister descended the steps with her three guards.

"Yes. I'm ready." she said, nodding.

"Then let's get you loaded up and on your way." Senator Covington said kindly. "The sooner we all get away from here, the better I'll feel." Bella said nothing, only nodded and walked out to her SUV, popping the trunk to allow Relena to put her stuff in. She got in and waited for the Preventors to get in and secure Relena. She watched as her father spoke to Marguerite for a number of minutes before giving her a hug and sending her to her own home.

When her father walked over to the SUV, and tapped on the window, Bella rolled it down, but did not look at him.

"Bella…" he started gently.

"I know, dad." she said firmly. "We've been over this before about him and her. You don't tell me again." The old man just nodded and shook his head. He placed his hand on hers and squeezed gently.

"Be careful, pumpkin." he said quietly. "And call me when you get home."

"I will, dad." she said, buckling her seatbelt and cranking the engine. "Don't worry." She checked the rearview mirror to make sure Relena and the other Preventors were situated before backing up and pulling out of the driveway.

The trip to her house was silent, which was all good and fine for her. It seemed like her little outburst with Marguerite had put not only Relena, but her bodyguards on edge as well.

Belladonna turned down the final road that led to her own home and shivered as a chill went down her spine. Marguerite was up to something, and she knew it. Her younger sister was a manipulative witch when she wanted to be. _'I'll think about it later.'_ she thought wearily, spotting the lights of her house behind the fence she had just pulled up to. _'I need to get Relena and the others situated right now.'_

"We're here ya'll." she said grimly, pulling her key chain up and hitting the button that opened the electric, eight foot gate. She drove through, with the gates shutting behind her. When she got far enough up the driveway, she spotted three U.S. Preventor's jeeps parked in front of her house. "Damn! That was quick." she muttered.

"Who is that, onna?" Wufei asked, his hand going to the gun in his holster.

"That, China-man, is a group of Preventors that were chosen to look after me in case something like this happened. The Senators organizing the Peace Summit figured problems would occur once they got all the colony and Earth delegates together in one place. So, the Preventor headquarters here in the state assigned to each immediate member of the Senator's family, a handful of guards incase something happened. A couple of the ones from the precinct here volunteered to watch my back if something did happen." Bella parked her SUV in front of the two story house and cut the engine off.

Six men in green Preventor uniforms exited from the parked Jeeps while Heero, Duo, Relena, and Wufei got out of Bella's vehicle. The apparent leader of the group, a man in his late thirties with thinning red hair and concerned green eyes stepped forward, enveloping Bella in a tight hug, a relieved smile on his face.

"Bella, are you okay? How's the rest of your family?" he asked. "Ken wasn't hurt was he?" Bella smiled faintly and pulled away from the man, shaking her head.

"No. Dad and Rita are fine. Marguerite wasn't home when it happened." she said. "How long have you been waiting here?"

"Half an hour." he said, dismissing the question. "Everything's been cleared around the property. Nothing suspicious looking, but we need to get into the house and check everything out."

"That's fine." she said, gesturing for Relena to come forward. "I have the Vice Foreign Minister with me, John. Dad thought she would be safer with me." Relena stepped forward and extended her hand in greeting to the red-headed man.

"Ms. Dorlian. It's a pleasure." he said politely, shaking her hand. "I'm Captain John Asher, Preventor for the New Orleans branch."

"Relena Dorlian. Nice to meet you, sir." Relena answered. She gestured to the three men beside her. "These are my personal guards, Heero Yuy, Wufei Chang, and Duo Maxwell, Preventors from the international headquarters."

"Who's in charge?" the man asked briskly, looking at the group of ex-Gundam pilots.

"I am." Heero said firmly, stepping forward.

"Mr. Yuy, would you come with me, please? I need to speak with you concerning the safety of the Vice Foreign Minister." the red head asked.

"Whoa, now wait just a damned minute." Bella said, shaking her head. "Whatever you've got up your sleeve, I want to know about it. This is my house after all, and I want to know what the hell's going on! I've had enough surprises for one day to last me a couple of years!"

"Fine." the Preventor agreed. "We need to search and secure the house, Bella."

"Here's the keys." Bella said, handing her key chain to him. "The key to the cellar and storm shelter are the same. There's no key to the attic, and nothing else should be locked. What else you need?"

"Permission to plant sentries around the house." Captain Asher said. "I assume you and your men will want to be with Ms. Dorlian, Mr. Yuy?"

"Yes." Heero answered.

"That's fine." he said. "I'll keep my men stationed outside then."

"Agreed." Heero said.

"One more thing, Bella." the man said, grimacing slightly. "Where are your dogs?"

"The backyard." she answered. "Why?"

"You're going to need to chain them while we're here. Those hell hounds are already trying to get over the fence and at us."

"I'll take care of it." she said, watching as three of the other Preventors walked into her house to search. "Can we at least go onto the porch? The mosquitoes are having a field day out here." The man nodded and they walked through the screen door and onto the porch.

"Wufei?" Heero said, looking at the Chinese man.

"Yeah?"

"Watch Relena." he said stiffly. "Maxwell, come with me."

"Right behind ya', buddy." Duo said, following his partner into the house.

"Where are they going?" Relena asked, turning to Wufei with a frown.

"To help with the search." he answered simply. "The quicker we get this place secured, the better." Relena nodded in understanding and turned to the American man again.

"Were there any other attacks on other delegates besides myself and Senator Covington?" she asked.

"There were six attacks total." he answered with a frown. "All at, or around, the exact same time."

"Who else?" Bella asked.

"Michael Cole, the colony's Harbor Coordinator and Keith Flannigan, Head of the Colony Council, were injured when they were shot at."

"Were they hurt?" Relena asked.

"No ma'am. But they were pretty cut up from the shattered glass." he answered.

"Who else?" Bella asked.

"Quatre Winner was threatened with a note in his hotel room." he said.

"Who else?"

Senator Marie Evans and Senator David Lee." he answered with a sigh. "They weren't hurt, but Ms. Evans was quite shook up."

"I don't doubt it." Relena said.

"Any idea who is causing these disturbances?" Wufei asked.

"Probably protestors who are going against some policies being proposed."

"Were any of the perpetrators apprehended?" Wufei asked again.

"Two were caught." he said. "Mr. Winner's two body guards, I believe there names were Barton and Rashid, caught the two men who planted the note in his room." Wufei nodded and fell silent again.

Suddenly, loud barks and snarls could be heard from the back of the house. Bella cursed and took off towards the back of her house, running through the still dark rooms as quickly as possible, Preventor Asher on her heels. Relena and Wufei followed quickly behind. When they found her, she was pulling two full grown rottweilers away from a tree where one of the other men had jumped into to escape the vicious dogs.

"Mordred! Damian!" she scolded, finally pulling them away from the tree. "Knock it off, you big brutes!! No one's gonna hurt anything!!" The dogs immediately stopped snarling and biting at their mistress' scolding command, sitting at her feet, but still watching the human they had sent up the tree. Bella grabbed two chains and hooked them to the collars of the dogs, leading them towards the back of the yard where two large plastic doghouses stood.

"What's all the commotion?" came Duo's questioning voice.

"The onna's dogs got at one of the men." Wufei commented. "Sent him up a tree. Is the house secure?"

"Yeah." Heero said. "What…." His voice cut off when he heard a loud growl and more barks from the edge of the yard along with Bella's not so nice voice telling the dogs to calm down. A jingle of chains was heard and she came back into sight, a huge dog on each side of her.

"Jesus, Joseph and Mary!" Duo muttered. "I forgot how big those mutts were." The two dogs eyed the newcomers warily, but did not growl or bite. Each dog was easily a hundred or more pounds, and stood almost to Bella's waist. And to Duo, they seemed bigger now than they were the first time he had met them. But that was probably due to the fact that the black/brown coloring made it hard to distinguish them from the shadows that were starting to fall.

"Alright, you two," she said authoritatively, as though scolding two errant children. "Apologize to Mr. Poydras for scaring him into the tree."

"Apologize?" Wufei scoffed. "They're dogs, onna. Not humans." Bella just glared at him, not saying anything, then pointed to the man that had climbed out of the tree. The officer named Poydras looked like he would rather jump off a cliff than be around the dogs again. But when Mordred and Damian walked over to him, ears lowered and tail between their legs, he seemed to calm down a shade. When the two giant dogs laid down in front of him on the ground and put their head on their paws, big brown eyes careened up to look at the still slightly nervous man, even Wufei seemed genuinely surprised.

"Hold your hand out." Bella said.

"What?" Poydras asked.

"Go ahead." she said. "They won't bite, and it's their way of apologizing when they know they've done something wrong." Poydras stuck his hand out slowly and the dogs licked it, almost apologetically.

"Well, I'll be dammed." Preventor Asher muttered, watching as Mordred and Damian went back to Bella.

"Come on, babies." Bella said, pulling the chains and leading them back to the fenced off area. "Bed time for you both."

"Why do I get the distinct feeling those dogs are just waiting for her to turn her back before they use one of us as a midnight snack?" Duo asked.

"Sorry about that." Bella said, coming back. "They're not used to having so many people around. It won't happen again. Did everything check out in the house?"

"Everything checked out fine." Heero said, putting his hand on Relena's back to lead her towards the interior of the house.

"Well let's get inside, then." Bella said, following them in. "I need to get some sheets and towels for the guestrooms so you guys will have a place to sleep."

"What about patrols?" Wufei asked, not particularly wanting to stay inside all night after what had just occurred that day.

"My men are going to be stationed around the house tonight." Preventor Asher stated. "Another group will arrive in the morning, and we'll switch."

"Understood." Heero said. Bella walked into the living room and threw her jacket on the couch, everyone else following her.

"Just make yourselves at home." she said. "There's some food in the refrigerator, so just grab what you want for now, and I'll cook after I finish getting the guest rooms ready."

"I'll help." Relena offered, walking up the stairs with her after getting way from Heero. "It's the least I can do." The two women disappeared up the stairs and Preventor Asher nodded at the remaining three men.

"If you need anything, just holler." he said, walking back outside.

"Well, Duo muttered. "might as well get comfy and see what's on television…"

--------------------Upstairs…---------------------------------------

Bella pulled another sheet out of the hall closet and turned to enter the first guest room and make up the bed. Relena was on the other side of the twin bed and caught the cotton material as Bella spread it out.

"I'm really sorry about this, Relena." Bella said, smoothing out some wrinkles on the sheet. "We had no idea it would be this bad. Had we known, I'm sure daddy would have had the meetings canceled. I hate putting everyone in danger like this."

"It's not your fault, Belladonna." Relena said, smoothing the sheet and tucking it in. "You didn't know this would happen. I am curious though. Why are you being protected? You weren't threatened."

"Relena, there's a long story as to why I'm tied up in the middle of this mess." Bella said with a sigh.

"Well, I've got the time, if you've got the patience to fill me in." Relena said. Bella tucked in the corner of the sheet and nodded, trying to find were to start.

"There's more to business and politics around here than anybody realizes." she said, choosing her words carefully. "If you step on the wrong person's toes, you'll find yourself floating face down in the swamps as gator bait. In fact, I guess you could compare it to life as an animal in the swamp."

"On the surface, everything is smooth and peaceful, serene even. But it's just a façade, an illusion to cover up what's going on beneath the surface. If you're not careful, if you don't keep your guard up, and watch what you do, something…someone will take you down in the blink of an eye." Bella grabbed a comforter and spread it out on the bed.

"Like Darwin's concept of survival of the fittest." Relena said, nodding in understanding. "Go on."

"Well, let me really start off at the beginning." Bella said. "It'll make more sense if I just jump into what's right in now. Not long before the war, my mom pulled me out of St. Gabriel's. You had already gone by then. Anyway, my mom's job as personal assistant to the Alliance's Marshall Noventa kept us flying all over the colonies and Earth. I didn't really mind at all. But all good things must come to an end, right?"

"When the Gundams attacked the New Edwards base, my mom and I were there, and took shelter in one of the underground bunkers. Unfortunately, it started to cave in, and we had to leave. We got out, and started to run for an underground bomb shelter she'd been told about. But one of the Gundams that was attacking sliced into some mobile suits near us. When they exploded, mom and I fell down from the shockwaves. My mom tried to get me up, but I'd hurt myself when I fell."

"Metal flew all over the place, glass embedded itself in us, but my mom took the brunt of it. She had pulled herself on top of me, to protect me from the flying rubble and debris. Some of the shrapnel hit her…" Bella abruptly stood up from bed and walked over to the window, looking out as the sun.

It was beginning to set, and the clouds were turning pale pinks and purples. She felt her eyes tear up, but held the feelings of loss in check. Talking about her mom always upset her, even after all these years, but Relena needed to know how everything tied in. And that was part of it.

"Bella?" Relena asked carefully. "You don't have to tell me…"

"You need to know, hon." Bella said, taking a deep breath and turning back around to face her. "My mother died in my arms, Relena. She bled to death, in my arms and I couldn't do anything about it. The only thing I remember is the Gundam that caused the suit to explode. If I ever saw it again, I'd know it immediately." She didn't notice, but Relena's intake of breath was quick when she realized that she knew who Bella's mother's killer could be, considering she knew all the Gundam pilots, and three of them were sitting in her own house downstairs.

"Anyhow, after I found out that the attack was a ploy by Romefeller to kill of the pacifists, I wound up moving in with my dad, here in the States. Rita and I hit it off rather well, considering I was the result of a drunken one night stand between her husband and a woman she had never met."

"She doesn't seem like the type to judge harshly." Relena agreed.

"She didn't, thank the Lord." Bella answered. "Unfortunately, Marguerite was not as forgiving. Up until this day, she can't stand me. And I would be lying if I said the feeling was not mutual on my part. But you saw that right before we left."

"What happened?" Relena asked. "What did she do?"

"Anything and everything to make my life a living hell, at first." Bella answered, sliding a pillow case onto the pillow in her hand. "I cold live with the snide remarks and hateful attitude. In fact, I did. It finally got to the point where we ignored each other completely. She wound up getting into politics with dad, and I started my company with the money my mom had left me."

"Sounds like things were evening out." Relena pointed out.

"Yeah, they were, until Phillip Bienville came into the equation." Bella said with a sad smile. "He was a friend and business acquaintance of mine. He'd taught me a lot about managing my money and expanding the company under me. Well, to make a long story short, I wound up introducing him and Marguerite one day when she caught us having lunch together. I never would have guessed it, but they hit it off wonderfully, and wound up dating. He was twenty-three and she was eighteen."

"What happened?" Relena asked.

"They dated for a year and a half before Phillip worked up the guts to even think about asking her to marry him. Marguerite loved that man more than anything, and waited and waited for him to ask her to marry. Anyhow, when Phillip finally decide to pop the question, he asked me for help, advice, tips, whatever I was willing to give him. And considering how strained the relationship between the two of us, it wasn't much to go on."

"Marguerite had moved up in the political ranks by then, and he wanted everything to be absolutely perfect for her. So, Phillip and I would keep in touch, throwing ideas at each other, and trying to get him mentally prepared to ask her. Unfortunately, that was also about the time she started acting paranoid."

"Well, Marguerite got suspicious of us, and confronted Phillip and I about the time we spent together. She thought I was trying to break them apart. We tried to tell her that nothing was going on, but when that witch gets suspicious, she never lets it go. The day Phillip went to buy the engagement ring, I went with him to get it sized because my hand is about the same size as Marguerites."

"I later found out that Marguerite saw us together in the jewelry store. A few days later, Phillip was going to ask her to marry him while they were out on a date. That day, Phillip and I had a board meeting, and we went out to each lunch together so we could go over some proposals. While we were in the café, someone started firing a gun at us. Phillip was killed instantly, and I was injured. The gunman was caught, but all we ever found out was that a woman had paid him two grand to kill Phillip and I. He swore he didn't know who it was."

"That's horrible!" Relena gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock. "Horrible."

"Oh, I ain't even got to the best part, yet." Bella said with a wave of her hand.

"It gets worse?" she asked. Bella nodded and continued her story.

"At the funeral, Marguerite found out that Phillip had planned on asking her to marry him the day he was killed. She found out from his mother, who was more upset than anyone I'd ever seen. When she confronted me, and I told her I'd went with him to have the ring sized, Marguerite realized what had happened."

"The day after the funeral, I came home and found her punch-ass drunk in the bathroom, crying. She was so wasted, that she admitted to using some of her political pull to have someone kill me and Phillip because she though we were having an affair behind her back. When she found out the truth, she practically went crazy. Ever since then, I've washed my hands with her."

"She had her fiancée killed?" Relena asked.

"Yes, she did." Bella answered sorely. "And me too, almost."

"But, what about the police?" Relena questioned. "Why isn't she incarcerated?"

"Because money talks and bullshit walks around here, Relena." Bella said, shaking her head. "She managed to cover her tracks well enough to where the whole affair could not be tracked back to her. So, there is no evidence to prove anything. I also have a feeling that the Chief of Police got a hefty payoff to just drop the case altogether."

"But…she told you!" Relena said. "Why…"

"She was drunk, Relena." Bella said, grabbing some towels and putting them in the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom. "She doesn't remember telling me anything that night." They grew quiet for a moment, letting the tension hang in the air. Finally, Relena had to say something.

"Anything else need to be done in here?" Relena asked. Bella shook her head and gestured for the woman to precede her out of the room.

"No. Let's go get the other room fixed and I'll go make some dinner. I'm relatively sure Maxwell's ready to eat."

"Duo's always ready to eat." Relena said, walking into the room across the hall. "That's nothing new. He'll eat anything in sight as long as it isn't moving on its own legs and feet." Bella grabbed another set of bed clothes from the hall closet and walked into the room.

"You had better tell him to stay away from Marguerite's cooking then, if that's the case." she said. "She's likely to poison him."

"Is her cooking that bad?" Relena asked.

"No. But I'm telling you that she's liable to slip him something to make him fall asleep, then kidnap him, gag him, and tie him to a bed somewhere out of hearing range of screams."

"Kidnap? What?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet, Relena?" Bella asked, cocking any eyebrow at the girl as they smoothed out the sheets and tucked in the corners. "Marguerite's got a thing for your bodyguard with the long braid. That's why she was so pissed when we left earlier. Dad sent you guys with me, instead of her."

"Meaning Marguerite is not around Duo, and can't come here until things settle down." Relena said, understanding why the sisters were arguing before they left to come to Bella's house, and why Duo's name kept popping up. "This trip keeps getting better and better."

"She doesn't want me anywhere near him." Bella said, shrugging. "She thinks I'm going to convince him she's some type of horrible person. What she doesn't realize is that she's doing all the damage herself by acting like a little tart around him."

"Your sister is psycho." Relena murmured, tucking in the comforter.

"Tell me something I don't already know." Bella answered, grabbing the towels with one hand and putting them into the bathroom. "Well, we're done in here. What room to you want?"

"I'll take this one." Relena said.

"That's fine. I know Heero stays with you at night, so China-man and Maxwell can fight over who gets the other one and who gets the couch downstairs." Bella said, shutting the bathroom door. Relena only shrugged and headed towards the door, wondering exactly what was going on around her in this crazy town.

----------At the same time downstairs…---------

Heero, Duo, and Wufei pulled the earpieces out of their ears and looked at each other with worried expressions. Heero had had Duo bug the bedrooms earlier during their 'search' of the house, hoping to find out some information. And what they had just heard had shocked them all, even Heero.

"Guys, this is bad." duo said, looking slightly sick to his stomach. "Really bad."

"I would say so." Wufei commented. "You've got a psycho onna chasing you. And she's already had one lover killed. Congratulations, Maxwell." Duo groaned and put his head in he hands, cursing his luck with women. "You don't think she had something to do with today's attacks, do you? Heero?"

"I don't know." the ex-Wing Zero pilot said. "It's a possibility, a very strong possibility in fact, especially if what the girl just said was all true."

"Who ever it was, they knew where the security cameras were on the property." Wufei pointed out. "And they knew the password to get through the gates. So far, all the evidence is pointing to someone within the family, or someone who is close to them." Duo shook his head and sighed again.

Heero just watched as Belladonna and Relena descended the stairs. Bella told them to give her an hour and she'd have some dinner ready. He noticed that Relena seemed more worried than before, not that he blamed her. She came and sat down next to him, giving him a _we-need-to-talk_ look that he had come to recognize. He just shook his head in understanding, not mentioning that they had heard every single bit of what had been said.

_'This is not good.'_ he thought, taking a deep breath. _'Not good at all.'_

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**__**

A/N - Hey everyone. How'd that chapter go? I know it was full of information towards the end, but I'm hoping the beginning made up for it. It was extra long to make up for me not updating in such a long time. So I hope you guys don't mind.

Hope you enjoyed.

And remember to review. I want to know what ya'll think.

Later,

A.A.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer - Gundam Wind does not belong to me. It never did. The only thing I own of this story is the plot, and the characters not originally created by the owners of Gundam Wing.**_

_**A/N - Hello everyone. I'm sorry about taking such a long time to update, but Hurricane Ivan decided to rear its un-godly wrath in my town. Things are finally getting straightened out, and I found enough time to write and post some of my new chapters for my stories. Once again, thanks for being so patient with me. Hopefully, I'll be able to update more often now that things are getting back to normal.**_

_**Thanks to: Ahanchan, Kagura Tora, and Miss Crazy for their reviews. I appreciate it greatly that you took the time to leave your thoughts and suggestions. Keep'em coming. :)**_

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Duo's Dilemna

Chapter 7

Crazy Midnight Ramblings

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"She doesn't want to leave." Heero said simply into the cell phone he was holding to his ear. "I've already tried convincing her to leave, but she refuses."

"Did she say why?" Une asked crisply on the other side of the line.

"She doesn't want to be scared away." he said. "And she trusts the woman Covington sent us with."

"Ms. Saucier?"

"Yeah." Heero said stoically. He heard his superior groan and could almost see her rubbing her temples in aggitation.

"Trying to force Relena to leave will be pointless." Une finally said. "She'll fight you every step of the way. But if there is another attack, get her on a plane and get her back here, am I understood, Yuy? I don't care if you have to knock her out, just get her away from that city."

"Understood."

"Anything else, Yuy?" the woman asked.

"No."

"Very well, then. Goodbye, Yuy. And if anything else happens, contact me immediatly."

"Hn." Heero did not even worry about saying goodbye as he snapped the cell phone shut and walked down the stairs to find Relena. He had contacted Une about getting the Vice Foreign Minister to leave the States. Unfortunately, Une had not agreed with his decision to bring her back to Europe against her will.

Needless to say, Heero Yuy was not happy.

As he came into the kitchen area of the house, he found Belladonna in the middle of a heated arguement with Preventor Asher.

"I need to go to town, John." she said plaintively. "There's no telling how long we're going to be here, and I need to go get some things from the store."

"You can't leave." the red-headed man said firmly. "It's not safe."

"Relena is the one who isn't supposed to leave." she pointed out crossly. "Not me!"

"You're not going." he said firmly.

"If I take one of the other Preventors with me, will you let me go?" she asked, trying to compromise with the headstrong man in front of her. "Look, with as many people as I have around here, I'm going to run out of food by tonight. I really don't think you guys want to go 12 hour shifts with nothing to eat, do you?" She finally turned around and noticed Heero standing in the doorway. She immediately tried prying him for assistance. "Isn't that right, Mr. Yuy?"

"He's right. You don't need to leave." Heero answered calmly, causing Bella to growl in annoyance at being shot down yet again. "Just because you were not named in the threat, does not mean you are excluded as a possible target. Where's Relena?"

"The Vice Foreign Minister stepped outside to speak with your second in command, Preventor Chang." the red head answered. "She should be right outside." Heero nodded and turned to the back door, walking out to leave the two Amercians to their bickering. By the time he got to Relena's side, he heard a vehicle crank up and Preventor Asher's voice telling the man named Poydras to keep her out of trouble and get her 'stubborn ass' back in one piece.

Relena gave her bodyguard a small grin when he stopped beside her.

"I take it she won the arguement?" the ex-Queen of the world asked.

"Apparently so." Heero answered, looking down at the rather large fish pond Relena had been admiring before he got to her. He watched fo a few moments as they settled into a comfortable, companionable silence. He could see the shining fins of the numerous goldfish as they swam in the murky water, and wondered why Relena seemed so taken to the little creatures because she had a small smile on her face as she watched them swimming around the plants and rocks that littered the bottom of the pond.

"Heero?"

"Yeah?"

"I think something is wrong with Duo."

"What makes you say that?"

"He was awful quiet this morning at breakfast, and he didn't eat as much as normal. Do you thik Hilde's giving him fits again?"

"I don't think so. I think your friend Belladonna is the one that's got him in fits now.: Heero answered, once again checking the surrounding security as two green clad Preventors stepped around the edge of the property a few hundred yards away from them. Relena said nothing as she stepped closer to Heero for warmth and a little more protection from the biting winds that had picked up that day. She felt his arm go around her waist and she sighed in contentment.

"He's having rotten luck lately, isn't he?" she asked. Heero only nodded, not really knowing what to say or do to get Duo out of the emotional mess he'd gotten into this time.

Relena had pulled Duo along on this trip to get him away from things that were stressing him, namely Hilde, and to get his mind focused again. She had never intended to make him face the family of someone he had possibly killed on accident during an unneccessary attack on his allies almost seven years ago. Unfortunately, that was exactly what had happened.

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Duo couldn't sleep.

He hadn't even been able to close his eyes to rest since hearing Bella's words the night before. They just kept swimming around in his head. he had remembered every battle he'd ever fought in with Deathscythe, adn up until now, he had never really worried about what he'd done when he had been following the doctor's orders.

_'But she said she doesn't blame me, or any of the rest of us for what happened. So why in the hell do I feel so damned guilty about what happened. It wasn't our fault. Romefellar was the one who gave out false information just to stir up trouble. It was their fault!'_ Duo groaned and shook his head, unable to get the annoying, nagging voices inside his head to shut up. He picked himself up from his bed, threw on a shirt, and decided to check his e-mail on Bella's home computer since he couldn't sleep. She had already told them that anything in her house was at their disposal, and to make themselves comfortable. So Duo did not feel bad for commandering the computer while Bella wasn't home.

As he made his way down the stairs and into the office she had shown him the first time he was here, he heard a door slam and a vehicle crank up to leave. He also heard Preventor Asher's voice calling out to one of the other men to keep an eye on Bella. He just shook his head again and sat down at her desk, waking the computer from its stand by mode and clicking the icon to connect him to the internet. When the page he wanted finally pulled up, he signed in and scrolled through the contents of his inbox. A little bell sound broke the silence of the air in the office, and Duo noticed that she used the same instant messaging provider he did.

With nothing more pressing to do, and considering he still wasn't sleepy, he sighned on under his own screen name to see if anyone he knew was on. Immediately, a dialogue box popped up and he recognized the sender as none other than Hilde.

**_ScavengrGrl - Hey! What's gong on? I haven't talked to you in a while._**

_**DarkOverLord- I wonder why? What do you want, Hilde?**_

_**ScavengrGrl- Come on, Duo, lay off. I'm trying to work up an apology here. Quit biting my head off, will ya?**_

_**DarkOverLord- I don't want to hear it, Hilde. Leave me alone.**_

_**ScavengrGrl- Please? Duo?! Do you realize how bad this makes me feel? Especially knowing you're with some little bitch with a fetish for leather and whips?!**_

_**DarkOverLord- Huh?**_

_**ScavengrGrl- The one that answered your phone the other night when I called. She said you were 'tied up' at the moment and couldn't answer your phone. What's up with that, Duo? **_

_**DarkOverLord- Oh, you mean Bella? And why are you so worried about it?**_

_**ScavengrGrl- Yeah, her! What is with you, Duo? That girl soudned like a total freak!**_

_**DarkOverLord- Leave Bella alone, Hilde. You don't even know her. So quit passing judgement as if you're one to talk! **_

_**ScavengrGrl- So that's her name, huh? Sounds like some little tramp to me.**_

_**DarkOverLord- She's no tramp, unlike someone else I know.**_

_**ScavengrGrl- Are you calling me a tramp, Maxwell?**_

_**DarkOverLord- Is there anyone else in this conversation besides the two of us? The truth hurts, Hilde. Now leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you.**_

_**ScavengrGrl- But, Duo! Kenan was a mistake. I wasn't thinking! Besides, I was half drunk!**_

_**DarkOverLord- You seem to be in the habit of making mistakes a lot before you learn from them, Hilde. Quit lying to me. You never seem to learn until it's too late to fix your screw ups.**_

_**ScavengrGrl- You're no angel yourself, Maxwell. So don't try to play the innocent little martyr!**_

_**DarkOverLord- I never said I was innocent. But I am truthful. Which is more than I can say for you. **_

_**ScavengrGrl- Duo..**_

_**DarkOverLord- Leave me alone, Hilde. I'm sure Kenan's missing you right about now.**_

_**ScavengrGrl- Duo! Wait..I'm..**_

_**-DarkOverLord has signed off. 09:34:23AM-**_

Duo stood up and walked out of the study room pissed beyond all measure. That blasted woman just wouldn't give up. Fortuantely enough though, it seemed as if his anger had triggered his sleepiness, because now he was yawning as he climbed up the stairs to the room he shared with Wufei. He plopped down on his bed and groaned in frustration.

_'This is crazy!' _he thought, rolling over onto his stomach and shutting his eyes to drift into sleep. _'Can't the witch just take a fucking hint and leave me alone? I'm almost tempted to sic Bella on her just for the royal damn hell of it!'_

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When Bella pulled back up to her house and shut off the vehicle, Relena and Heero came from around the house. It had taken her almost four hours to get to town, do what needed to be done, and get back. Now she had a trunk full of food to bring into the house.

"Everything go alright?" Relena asked, walking out to help bring in the bags. "No problems, I hope."

"Nah. Everything was fine." Bella said, popping the hatch of the SUV and grabbing a handful of bags. "Worse part was the blasted traffic. How's everything here?"

"Fine. Quiet as can be." Relena asnwered, taking three of the bags herself. "Heero, can you get Wufei to help us, please?" The stoic man nodded and went to retrieve the other Preventor, returning soon with the scowling Chinese man behind him.

"What do you want, woman?" he barked at Bella.

"We need an extra pair of hands, China-man." she said, grabbing some more bags. "Grabe some and help us bring them inside, will ya?"

"You expect me to do a woman's job?" he scoffed. "I'm busy!"

"What's wrong, China-man? Afraid to break a nail by lifting the little grocery bags?" she taunted, cutting her eyes up at the ever-angry Preventor. "Quit being a sissy, and help. Look, even Yuy's a bigger help than you are." Wufei looked at the taunting woman and growled in annoyance. The only other woman on the planet that baited him this much was Sally, and she was currently across the Atlantic Ocean in the Preventor Headquarters.

He glared at Bella and grabbed an armload of grocery bags, mumbling something about _'weak, annoying women and their idiosyncricies'_. Bella just grinned, grabbing another bag before hearing another vehicle pull up the driveway.

_'Wonder who that is?' _she thought, carrying the bags in to the house and placing them on the counter where Relena was pulling out the contents. She caught Heero's eye and frowned.

"We've got company coming." she said seriously. "Someone is pulling up the driveway. And I don't know who it is." Heero jerked up and quickly walked outside, giving Relena a stern look that almost screamed _'Don't-you-dare-come-out-here!' _ Wufei followed behind him immediatly. Bella looked towards Relena and nodded, telling her silently to keep doing what she was because she was going to find out what was going on.

Bella walked out of her kitchen and through the living room to peek out the door....only to find Heero and Wufei, as well as a number of other Preventors, surrounding her sister's SUV. When the window rolled down, Marguerite nodded at them and smiled.

"Where's Belladonna?" she asked.

"What are you doing here, Margie?" Bella asked firmly, stepping out of her house and walking across the porch before any of the men could say anything to her younger half-sister. She also noticed her two dogs come romping from around the corner of the house and stalk towards the SUV. "You know what daddy said. We're to stay seperated until all of this is settled and everything calms down."

"You're making it sound like I'm the one that's trying to kill Relena." Marguerite said sourly, glaring at the other woman. "I was coming to see if everything was okay here."

"Yeah, I'm sure you were." Bella mumbled. "What do you want, Margie? You could have just called, you know. Oh, and by the way, where were you Tuesday night before the attack on the house?"

"Not that is should matter to you, but I stayed at my house that night. Now, where's Duo at?" the other girl asked, completely ignoring her older sibling's other question. "I didn't see him walking around. Is he okay."

"He's sleeping, Ms. Covington." Heero said simply, walking up next to Belladonna.

"Still have him on night patrol, huh?" she asked, smiling. "How's Relena?"

"She's fine." Bella said. "In fact, she's inside right now, helping me with some work."

"Well, let's go help her then, shall we?" Marguerite asked brightly, unbuckling her seatbelt and pushing the door to the SUV open, only to come face to face with a pair of very angry rottweilers known as Mordred and Damian. "Jesus, Belladonna!" she said, slamming the door shut quickly. "You still have those monsters!"

"They're not monsters, Margie." Bella said simply, her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. "They're just particular about who they let near me."

"It will be getting late soon, Ms. Covington." Heero said stiffly, derailing an arguement between the two women. "It would be wise for you to return home soon." Marguerite stiffened at the apparent dismissal, but did not want to try and fight with the Preventor. She simply nodded and pulled her seatbelt back around her, latching it in place and starting the SUV.

"I'll talk to you later, then, Bella." she said stiffly. "Try to keep yourself out of trouble, sister dear." Bella growled and watched as her younger sister pulled off and left out of the gates, leaving the property. Heero just turned and walked back inside the house after conferring with Preventor Asher for a few moments. Bella wasn't sure what he said, but the older man only nodded and frowned, assuring Heero that he would get right onto whatever he had said.

Bella took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. Leave it to Marguerite to deliberately disobey their father when something like this happens. She shut the hatch on her SUV and walked back into the house behind Heero, resigning herself to help Relena put up the massive amount of food she had purchased earlier that morning.

They had just about finished placing all of the food into the cupboards when the phone in the kitchen started ringing. Bella went to pick it up, and was surprised to hear her dad's voice on the other line.

"Hey, daddy. How's everything? You and Rita okay?" Bella pulled a chair up and sat on it as she got ready to talk to her dad.

"Really? Well, that should make things a little easier. Have they found out who attacked the house yet?" Relena and Heero turned to listen to this side of the conversation, hoping to figure out if anything new had been found.

"Well, that sure doesn't help matters any, now does it?"

"Yes, I know sarcasm is not helping the situation, daddy. You needn't remind me."

"Funny. Very funny, dadddy. You might have meant that as an insult, but I'll take it as a compliment."

"Yeah, I'll be sure and tell Relena. Was there anything else you needed?"

"Yeah, I got the number. I'll call them in a bit. Oh, and I just got a visit from Margie. I thought we were supposed to stay seperated until this was settled down." Relena heard the outburst from Kenneth Covington, and had no doubt that he was not happy with that little fragment on information on Marguerite.

"Don't get your pants in a twist, dad! I told her the same thing. But she won't listen to me, and you know it."

"Yeah, I know."

"Okay, daddy. I'll talk to you later. You guys be careful and I'll call this evening after dinner, okay?"

"Love you too, daddy." Bella hung the phone up and turned to Relena. "Well, the meetings have been put off until Monday. So no ones meeting tomorrow."

"Have they heard anythign else about the attackers?" Heero asked.

"They ran the description of the SUV we gave them, but with no license plates, they can't pinpoint anything. Apparently those two that were caught in Mr. Winner's hotel room are cracking under pressure, though. Dad said they're slipping up and letting information leak out."

"Well, that is reassuring at any rate." Relena said. "What else did he want?"

"Just to tell me to get a hold of the repair guys to fix the windows in the house." she said. "I've got to go dig their number out and call them before dinner. Oh, speaking of that. Relena, would you mind looking over the speech I've got for the presentation mess next week at the conference hall. I'm not much on formal speech things, and I don't want to get up there and sound like some kind of idiot."

"Sure. I don't mind. It'll give me something to do, anyway."

"All your paperwork's caught up?" Bella asked, walking over to a counter to pull out what she was planning on cooking that night for dinner.

"Amazing, isn't it?" the blonde asked, the sarcasm in her voice light.

"Quite." Bella answered, a grin on her face. "Well, since you don't have anything to do, want to help make dinner?" Relena frowned and put her hands up, quickly backing away from the counter.

"I can't cook." she said pointedly. "I'm warning you now. I can't even cook toast without burning it to a crisp." Bella laughed at her friend and shrugged.

"You can stop a colony from crashing to Earth, but you can't cook?" she asked. "Relena, what am I going to do with you?"

"You could quit teasing and show me how to do it right." Relena pointed out sullenely. Bella nodded and threw a white apron at the blonde girl.

"Well, since you put it that way," she said, grinning even wider. "Get that on. And welcome to Cooking for Dummies 101. I'm your instructor, Bella Saucier. And today, we're going to teach the Vice Foreign Minister, and ex-Queen of the World, Relena Peacecraft-Dorlian how to cook a simple meal without burning the whole house down."

"You think you're so funny, don't you?" Relena grumbled, tying the apron around her waist. "Just wait, you're going to get it one of these days, Ms. Cocky. Just you wait."

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Dinner actually turned out alright, considering the mess Relena and Bella wound up making in the once pristine kitchen. The simple dinner had almost turned into a war zone when Duo had come down from his room, seeking something to stop the rumbling in his stomach. He walked into the kitchen right when Bella had given Relena a measuring cup of flour to pour into some type of cake batter. Unfortunately, the politician didn't turn the hand mixer off before she poured the white, powdery substance into the bowl....resulting in a thick cloud of flour being thrown up into the atmosphere of the kitchen. When it finally settled, the entire kitchen looked like a snow storm had come crashing through.

But, despite the huge mess that had been created, the two women managed to get enough food ready to feed not only Duo, but the rest of the Preventors on hand as well. The mess had been cleaned up, and everyone had seperated and retired to their own activities for the evening. Duo was about to take up his post outside when his cell phone started ringing. He pulled it out and looked at the number, frowning in annoyance.

"What's up, Duo?" Bella asked, coming outside to sit on the porch swing in the fading sunlight.

"Nothing." he said flatly.

"What's wrong, your ex botheing you again?" she asked.

"Don't you know it." Duo muttered, refusing to answer the ringing phone. "She just won't leave me alone!"

"Want me to get rid of her again?" Bella asked, shrugging her shoulders. "Seemed to work last time." Duo shook his head, remembering the conversation he'd had with Hilde earlier that day on the computer via instant messaging. He was afraid that if Bella talked to Hilde so soon after that little conversation, it would not turn out to pretty.

"Don't worry about it." he said. "Maybe she'll get the point and quit calling." Bella gave him a '_are-you-kidding-me-stupid?' _look that showed exactly how much she thought that would work.

"Suit yourself, then." she said. "But if you need me to get rid of her, I will. It's the least I can do."

"Thanks, I'll remember that." Duo said, wondering if he ought to let Hilde tangle with the other woman. Bella just nodded and curled up on the porch swing with a light blanket and a book. Even though it was quickly getting darker, the porch light gave off enough light for her to read her book.

"Whatever." she said, settling herself down and opening the book where her bookmark, a wrinkled and obviously old ace of spades, had been placed. "Oh, there is some left over food in the refrigarator if you get hungry tonight."

Duo just nodded and walked off the porch, pulling his jacket around him and turning his cell phone off when the low ringing tone refused to stop.

Next time, he was letting Bella get rid of Hilde for him. He couldn't take much more of Hilde's whining and pleading for forgiveness.

_**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

****A couple of hours later, Duo walked into the house as quitely as he possible could. It was a little after midnight, and he was making another round around the house, checking for anything suspicious. He walked past the kitchen door and noticed a weak light coming from the living room. He walked over and looked around the corner, seeing Bella sitting sideways on the couch, holding what looked like a framed picture to her chest. She wore only a white robe, and her hair was tied up in a ponytail. It looked like she had been sitting there for a while, though.

_'What's she still doing up?' _he thought. _'She should have been asleep hours ago.' _He had seen her leave off of the porch and go into the house after recieving a phone call from her father earlier, but paid no hed to it. Now, he was wishing he had paid more attention to what was going on because it looked like something had happened to make her upset.

"Bella?" he called out softly, gaining her attention. "What are you doin' in here? Shouldn't you be asleep?" The young woman in question turned her head to the doorway, seeing Duo resting along the door frame, an inquisitive look on his face. She clutched the frame to her even tighter and blinked her eyes, letting them adjust to look at the young man in front of her.

"I couldn't sleep." she said simply, watching as he walked over towards the couch, looking down at her with concern flashing in his eyes. "Nightmares, you know. Happens every now and then when things get hectic."

"I understand." he said. "I have them too, when everything gets stressful. Something got you worried?"

"Relena." she said simply. "And my dad."

"Why?"

"Something just seems off." she said. "Call it a gut feeling, but things just seem weird."

"You mean the attack on your dad's house?" Duo asked, leaning down and resting his elbows on the back of the couch.

"Yeah, that's one thing. But there's something else. Marguerite's been acting weirder than normal. And dad is worried about it." she said. "And I ran into Johnathan Artigues, my dad's personal lawyer, today while I was at the post office. Remember how Margie said she was at her house the night before the attack?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Artigues told me that she spent the night with him Tuesday night." Bella said, shaking her head. "Which is plausible considering their good friends. Johnathan's the family lawyer, and I don't think he would lie to me, but something's not right. Why would Margie lie to me about being with him?"

"Maybe she didn't want you ragging on her about spending the night with her boyfriend." Duo commented easily, shrugging his shoulders.

"Humph. Fuck buddy would be a better, more accurate description of that relationship." Bella scowled angrily. "Something's not right with her, but I don't know what it is. Daddy said he wasn't able to get a hold of her all day."

"Well, you tighten your hold on that picture frame any more, and we're going to be picking glass shards out of your hands all night." he pointed out, nodding towards the frame in her hands when her fingers tightened instinctively in anger with the mention of her younger half-sister. "And I don't think you want to be doing that." Bella immediately loosened her hold on the gilded frame and looked down at it, sighing in exasperation. "Who is that anyway?"

"My mom." she said simply, turning the picture to show Duo the picture of a woman in her late twenties that could pass for Bella's twin sister. He looked from the picture, back to the woman holding it and shook his head.

"You look a lot like her." he said finally, noticing the way the woman in the picture smiled cockily, and remembering the look on Bella's face the day of the foodfight when she'd thought she had won against him. "You could almost be twins."

"I know." she said with a smile. "Daddy tells me that all the time. I wish she was here now. Momma always knew how to fix things for everyone. She...she always knew what to do during messes like this. I just wish she was here to tell me what I need to do to keep Relena and my family safe from the protestors."

"What happened to her?" Duo asked gently, prying the girl for more information that could help him piece together why she was the way she was. "I know she passed away, but...."

"She was killed on the New Edwards base when the Gundams attacked." Bella said sadly, running her hand over the portrait of the smiling woman. "I was with her when it happened. We had been there for the conference, but when the Gundams attacked, we were ushered into a bunker. The bunker collapsed after we were put in there, and we tried running for another shelter."

"She was shot?" Duo asked, playing along with the information he already know to be true.

"No. She was knocked down and metal pieces and parts hit her during an explosion caused by one of the attacking pilots knocking out a line of stationary Aries suits near where we were trying to get away from. The shrapnel killed her." she said sadly. "I don't really know whether to blame whomever was in that suit for my mom's death, or blame Romefellar for building suits that couldn't withstand an attack from a Gundam, and then sending out false information."

"Which Gundam was it?" Duo asked. "I know there were five of them, but do you know which one it was?"

"It wasn't the one that sliced Marshal Noventa's shuttle in half." she said simply. "I know that for a fact. And it wasn't the red one; I think that suit was called 04." Duo nodded, his eyebrows scrunched together in concentration and fear of hearing what she was about to tell him. "In fact, I'm pretty sure it was the one that was captured and blown up in space later on by some OZ trainee soldier. But everything was in such a ruckus during the attack, I couldn't really tell you. I remember seeing flashes of black, white, and gold, but that's it really. Although I think if I ever saw it again, I'd know it immediatly."

Duo's eyes went wide in surprise, remembering when Trowa had blowun up hid Deathscythe suit while posing as an OZ trainee. He felt the blood drain from his face as he watched Bella continue to stare at her mother's picture. What was he supposed to say o her? Especially considering he could have very well been the one responsible for the woman's death.

"Bella..." he began, but was cut off by her voice.

"I know we owe so much to those wonderufl pilots of those suits." she said, a small smile on her face. Duo just looked at her like an idiot, waiting for her to continue. "They came to Earh and done what they had to do. I thank God everyday for what they did. After the final battle with Treize, I was almost saddened to see them leave." She gave a gruff laugh and shook her head, almost as if she didn't believe what she was saying. "Imagine my surprise when theypopped up a year later to take care of Mariamea and that last of Treize's supporters. I felt safe again, knowing they would fight for the ideals that Relena, my father, Marshall Noventa, and Minister Dorlian had advocated. Ideals of peace and prosperity between the colonies and Earth. They didn't let us down, either. They really are amazing pilots, and extrordinary people, whoever they are."

"You say all this, but you still blame one of them for killing your mom." Duo said, shaking his head in confusion. "That doesn't make a lick of sense."

"I don't really blame the pilots for what happened at the New Edwards base." she sighed. "As much as I keep trying to convince myself they are responsible for it, my more practical side keeps pointing out that OZ and romefellar are to blame for issuing false information. I don't know much, but I do know that no one knew the Alliance memebers were there, other than OZ's officials and the Foundation. So, I can't really blame the Gundams."

"That's nice to know." Duo mumbled quietly.

"I'm sorry, Duo, what was that? I didn't hear you?" Bella asked, turning to the Preventor standing beside her.

"It was nothing." he said quickly. "Nothing at all. What's got you so upset about this? You seemed fine earlier, now you're acting like your best friend's up and died on you."

"I'm sorry. I'm just really worried about everything. I wish there was something I could do to fix this mess with the attacks and the protestors, but....well, my hands are tied because no one knows who is doing this." she said.

"You're not Superwoman." Duo pointed out. "You can't do everything, you know."

"I know." she answered sullenly. "I just don't like not being in control of what is happening around me."

"Control freak." Duo muttered, throwing a smile her way. "You always like this?"

"What do you think?" she retorted, laughing gently, and shaking her head. "I really shouldn't keep you from your patrols because of my depressing, midnight ramblings. Don't need you getting in trouble with Yuy because of me."

"Don't worry abou it. Yuy's tucked in tight with Princess right now." he said with a wave of his hand and a cheeky grin. "The only way he's coming out of that room is if he hears gunshots start firing." Bella chuckled and stood up from her position on the couch.

"He really loves her, doesnt he, Duo?" she asked. "I never thought I'd see the day when she would be able to snag him, considering the way they did not hit it off so well when they first met at St. Gabriel's."

"He loves her more than any of us realize." Duo said. "Just goes to show you exactly how powerful Princess' pull with people is. Heero was never an easy nut to crack."

"I'm glad, for both of them." she said simply. "They're made for each other, and I don't know about Yuy, but with what Relena's been through, she deserves someone who'll love her and take care of her." Bella set the framed picture on a nearby table and stepped back. There were a few moments of silence before either spoke again.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" she asked.

"Don't you think you deserve to by happy, too?"

"Duo, when I find someone who loves me, and treats me like my dad, I'll latch onto him and not let go." she said with a grin. "Until then, I'm fine on my own. But, I'm rambling again, and gettting nowhere." She pulled the belt around her robe tighter and turned to walk out the room. "Goodnight, Duo."

"G'night." he answered, watching her walk across the room. Right before she walked out, he stopped her. "Bella?"

"Hmm? Yeah?"

"If you could meet one of the pilots of the Gundams, possibly even the one partly responsible for what happened to your mom....what would you do?" Bella stopped and blinked in surprise of the question. She turned around and faced the young man with a sad smile on her face.

"Well, if it was a guy, I'd probably kiss them." she said with a true smile. "And then thank them for what he's done."

"You wouldn't bring up your mother?" he asked, completely surprised. "Why not?"

"I'm relatively sure that whomever it is, has enough on their conscious from that day at the base. No need for me to add insult to injury, is there?" she said with a shrug. "They know what they done. And they know they were tricked. Hell, if it was me, I'd still be feeling guilty about it, even now."

"I guess you're right." Duo answered, his lopsided smile making her feel better somewhat. "I never thought of it that way."

"Goodnight, Duo." she said once again, leaving out of the room finally to try and sleep. He waited until he heard the sound of her steps going up the stairs and then the soft 'click' of her door shutting before shaking his head sadly.

"I'm sorry." he murmured, walking out the room and towards the door that lead into the cool night air. "I'm so sorry for everything, Beauty."

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_**A/N - Okay, that's the latest chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it. **_

_**Remembe to leave a review telling me what you think.**_

_**Later,**_

_**A.A.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer - Gundam Wind does not belong to me. It never did. The only thing I own of this story is the plot, and the characters not originally created by the owners of Gundam Wing.**_

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Duo's Dilemma

Chapter 8

Now What?

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It was early Friday morning, but it seemed like everyone in Bella's house was already up and awake. Bella, who had not been able to go to sleep after talking with Duo about her mother, had spent the night pacing her bedroom floor and worrying continously about her dad and step-mom. Finally, at about four-thirty in the mornning, she had descended the steps and found herself something to keep her occupied...work.

She had checked her voice mail, only to find a message from her vice-president saying that everything was okay and the only problems they had encountered was a glitch in some of last month's accounts. Apparently, a large amount of money had come up missing from the reserves, and Daniel had no idea where it had went. Bella had been concerned at first, but then remembered that their monthly donation to one of the charities had come out of the reserves last month. She left a message on Gracie's phone explaining where the money had went, knowing that her secretary would pass along the information to Daniel.

Now, sitting at the table in her small kitchen, she was staring at the computer screen of her laptop, correcting a few minor mistakes that was left in her speech for the Senate. Behind her, a large pot of coffee was being made, and she knew the smell of the fresh brew would drag her guests out of bed in a little while. She had already heard one of her guests up and about this morning due to the sound of footsteps overhead, but she hadn't been able to tell who it was. The door to the kitchen swung open and Bella looked up to find Duo standing in the doorway. She tugged at the hem of the oversized football jersey she usually slept in, thanking God she remembered to put on a pair of shorts before she had come down this morning.

"Up already?" he asked, walking into the kitchen and sitting down across the table from her. "This is early, even for you."

"Couldn't sleep." Bella answered simply, taking another sip of coffee and minimizing the screen she was looking at. She took in Duo's relaxed posture and grinned.

"How's everything outside?"

"Fine." Duo answered, propping the chair back on two legs and putting his hands behind his head. "Quite as a mouse."

"You know you're gonna fall out of that chair if you don't put it down on all four legs, right?" she teased, nodding to the chair he was sitting in.

"No I won't." Duo said cockily. "My balance is perfect."

"Suit yourself." she said, grinning. "Don't come running to me when you smash head on my floor." About that time, Bella's ears picked up the sound of muttered curses and the footsteps coming down the staircase.

"Wonder which one that is." she said absently.

"It's Wufei." Duo said. "Nothing to worry about." The door to the kitchen swung open and Bella looked up to find the Chinese Preventor scowling worse than normal. He looked ragged, almost as if he had not been to sleep all night either.

"Morning, China-man." Bella said as he walked in and poured a large mug of coffee, then dousing it with enough sugar to put a Louisiana sugar plantation to shame. "Rough night?" At that moment, the sound of a cell phone ringing was heard, and Wufei pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen, seeing an all too familiar number on it.

"Shut up, woman." he all but yelled, slamming the door behind him as he left and flipping the phone open before answering it with a curt **_'Now what do you want?'_**

"What's his problem?" Bella asked, slightly put out by his disposition as she watched the door to her dining room swing back and forth from the Chinese man's abrupt exit.

"Um, 'Fei was up most of the night." Duo answered with a grin.

"He couldn't sleep either?"

"No, Sally kept him up." the braided pilot said, chuckling. "Last I heard, she was calling him a stubborn ass idiot, and threatening to cut his balls off and stuff them down his throat."

"Lord help him. What'd he do to ensure her wrath that bad?" Bella asked.

"He forgot to call her yesterday." Duo said. "It was their three year anniversary from when they started dating, and 'Fei forgot about it."

"Ohh." Bella smirked, suddenly wishing she could hear the uptight Preventor being chewed out by his girlfriend on the other end of the phone. "Damn, Skippy."

**_'INJUSTICE!! WOMAN YOU HAVE LOST YOUR MIND!!'_ **came Wufei's overexasperated voice from the dining room. Bella winced and Duo just shook his head, a small grin on his face.

"Well, if Heero and Relena weren't up yet, they are now." Bella said, rising from her chair after shutting down her laptop and placing it on a nearby counter as Wufei came through the door once again in a huff. "Trouble with the misses, China-man?"

"Stay out of this, woman." he snapped. "You're as bad as the other one, always asking stupid, sarcastic question that you use to trap people with. Don't you bunch of stupid women know when to keep your overly large mouths shut?" Bella flinched and started to get angry with the man in front of her. She watched as he walked towards the door, right towards her, muttering under his breath. "Utterly ridiculous.....that time of the month.....bunch of overgrown harpies that can't do anything ri..."

"Mr. Chang," Bella said, causing him to look up at her and glare even worse. "It's five in the morning. I'm cranky, irratated, and haven't had enough coffee to put me in a good mood yet. I have been up all night because mother nature decides to prove the theory that women can loose massive amounts of blood in a relatively short period of time, and still live to fix problems that chauvinistic pigs like you cause." Her hand reached out and she gripped the handle of one of kitchen knives. "Now, I have in my hands, a fourteen inch butcher knife, sharpened to perfection, and the only way out of this room is behind me. Now, do you really want to finish that sentence?"

Wufei's face actually went from red with anger to white in fright in about two seconds. He said nothing, only shook his head at Bella's questioning. the woman seemed satisfied with his mute answer and stepped out of the way, letting the somewhat shocked man past her. Duo watched the interaction with a sort of devious glee.

It was rare to see Wufei back down from an arguement with anyone, especially if that person happened to be a woman. And the look of utter horror on the man's face when Bella picked up the knife and all but threatened to carry out Sally's promise of retribution for forgetting their anniversary he had been hearing all morning and half the night, had Duo cackling in delight. When Wufei was out of the room, and Duo was sure that Bella wasn't going to turn a knife on him, he broke the silence that had settled into the kitchen.

"You okay, Bella?" he asked cautiously, wondering if she was only playing with the other Preventor, or if she was seriously that angry and aggravated. The young woman turned back to him, handing him a mug of coffee and grinned.

"Oh, I'm fine." she said, laughing slightly at his cautious expression. "Just giving China-man a good scare this morning."

"As if he hasn't been scared enough from Sally." Duo muttered. Bella just smiled and walked over to the refrigerator, pulling things out to fix for breakfast. "What ya' cooking?"

"Don't know yet." she said, surveying what she had to work with. "What do you want?"

"Don't care." he said, shrugging. "I'm just hungry."

"You're always hungry, Maxwell." Bella pointed out, bending over to pull a carton of eggs out of the bottom of the fridge. Duo looked over at her and grinned. The jersey she had on had ridden up when she bent over, and he now had quite a view of her backside and her legs from where he was reclining. He smirked and leaned the chair back a little more to get a better view as she searched in the fridge for what she wanted. The shorts she had on were not much coverage, and Duo could see a small tattoo of some kind of animal on the small of her back. He squinted in the low light of the kitchen and tilted the chair back a little more, trying to get another angle to see what the picture on her back was. Unfortunately for him, he tilted the chair back a little too far, and went crashing down onto the tiled floor with a thud, spilling the hot cup of coffee in his hand all over himself in the process.

Bella quickly pulled her head out of the refrigerator and turned to see what the commotion was, only to find Duo lying on the ground, covered in hot coffee and trying to get up, his face contorted in pain from the scalding liquid he managed to pour all over himself.

"Owww! That's hot!!!" he yelled, pulling his now coffee-soaked jacket off and throwing it on the table. "Ohh, my head!" He rubbed the back of his head, and felt a bump start to form where his head had smacked into the tile. Bella shook her head and tried to contain her amusement at the poor man's misfortune. She'd tried to tell him he was going to fall.

"You okay, Duo?" she asked, coming over to check on him, a ghost of a smile on her face. "You didn't crack my tile with your hard head, did you?"

"Funny. What are you now, a comedian?" he asked sourly, picking his shirt away from his chest where the coffee had soaked in. Bella giggled slightly and led him over to the sink, cutting on the hot water and putting his hands under it, trying to cool down the red skin where the coffee had splashed.

"Not yet, but I'm trying." she said, looking carefully at his arm. It was not as bad as she had imagined, but it looked like the front of his shirt was the recipient of a large amount of the scalding liquid. "Pull that shirt off and I'll get you another one to change into." she said, turning towards the small laundry room off to the side of the kitchen. "It'll hold you over until you can get one of your own."

"Ohh, trying to get me naked now, are you, Bella?" he teased. "All you had to do was ask." Bella groaned and shook her head, opening the door and grabbing one of her father's old button up shirts.

"Honey, if I wanted you naked, I'd have jumped you already." she said with a teasing smile. "Now, unless you want to keep that coffee-soaked shirt on you and run the risk of blistering yourself, I suggest you get that shirt off." Duo only shook his head, wondering if his flirting was going to lead him into more trouble than he wanted to deal with. But then again, Bella gave as good as she got, so it's not like he had to worry about her throwing a sexual harassment lawsuit against him.

Bella grabbed a plastic bad and filled it with ice and a little water, then wrapped it in a dishtowel and handed it to Duo.

"Here." she said.

"What's that for?" he asked, slipping the shirt on and buttoning it up quickly, then sticking his burning hands back underneath the running cold water in the sink.

"Hold it against where you burnt yourself at." she said, nodding towards his chest. "It'll help cool your skin down before it blisters." Duo nodded and took one of his hands out from underneath the running water, taking the bag and holding it against his chest. Bella, pulled his wrist out from under the faucet and looked at it carefully. The skin was still red and it could possibly blister.

"Got it good, didn't you?" she asked.

"There's a first aid kit in my bag." Duo said, shrugging. "I'll take care of it later."

"Nonsense." Bella said. "I've got something that'll work just as well." She pulled out a bowl and put some water and ice in it, along with a bunch of vinegar. "Put your hands in that. The vinegar will help pull the heat out."

"Vinegar?" he asked skeptically, eyeing her like she was an idiot.

"Yes, vinegar." she answered. "I know it sounds stupid, but it works. Trust me." Duo shook his head, but dropped the ice bag and put both his hands in the freezing vinegar water, only to find that it worked better and killing the burning sensation than plain water alone.

"Better?" Bella asked. He nodded. "It's an old trick my mom taught me. Works really well for sunburns too." She picked up the discarded ice bag and unbuttoned one of the buttons on the shirt, placing it against his chest. Duo grinned and shook his head.

"There you go again, undressing me." he teased, a mock severe sigh coming from his lips. "Have you no modesty, my dear? What am I going to do with you, Ms. Saucier?"

"You really are a pervert. Is that all you think about?" she said, shaking her head, and trying to keep from blushing slightly at his teasing.

"Would you hate me if I said yes?" he grinned at her.

"Would you like me to let this ice bag go?" she asked innocently, pulling the bag away and letting the burning sensation hit Duo again like a semi-truck. He winced and shook his head quickly, his braid flapping from side to side.

"No, that's okay." he said. "You're fine right where you are." They were silent for a few moments, until Bella looked at him, concern still in her eyes.

"You didn't hurt your head, did you?" she asked. "I know that tile is hard as hell when you fall on it." Duo raised a questioning eyebrow and looked at her.

"And how are you so sure of that?"

"Uh, let's just say I went out one night with some friends, got a little drunk, and wound up sleeping on the kitchen floor." she said with a grimace. Duo laughed and shook his head. "One hell of a back ache isn't the only thing I woke up with the next morning."

"It's okay. I can feel a bump back there, but nothing I can't stand." he said, pulling his hands out of the vinegar water, only to drop them back down when the burning sensation hit again.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Fine." he answered, grinning to show he would be okay. A few minor burns from a cup of coffee and bump on the head from falling out of a chair while trying to look up Bella's shirt was nothing compared to what he had been through before during the war. But, his mind argued, he liked the attention he was getting from the young woman standing next to him, so what was wrong with playing it up a little? Of course, if Bella found out what had made him fall backwards in the chair to begin with, he might just not live to see another day.

"Still hurt?" she asked, nodding towards the bowl of ice water. Duo pulled his hands out and waited for half a minute before feeling the burning sensation come back, but not as bad as it had been. He took a proffered towel from Bella's hands and dried his own.

"It's better." he said, placing his hand on the ice pack she had been holding. "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it." she answered. "My way of saying thanks for watching over my family."

"That's about all I'm good for." he said, shrugging.

"That's not true." Bella said heatedly. Duo looked over at her, a slightly confused look on his face.

"Do tell?" he said. "What else am I good for then?" he queried, wondering what she was going to come up with considering he had only met her a week before.

"Well, you keep me up to date on my first aid remedies." she laughed. "And you're somewhat entertaining to keep around, too. Maybe you should get a job as a clown if you ever quit the Preventors."

"No thank you. I'll leave that up to Trowa." he said, grinning. "But thanks just the same."

"Anytime, hon." she said, turning back to the counter that held the food she was fixing for breakfast. "So, figured out what you want to eat, yet?"

"Surprise me." Duo said, grabbing the turned over chair and sitting it back upright before sitting down in it.

"Yuy's not gonna bitch a fit if he comes in here and finds you with me, is he?" she asked, pulling out a pan from a cabinet.

"Nah, there's enough Preventors out there to keep everything in check." he said. "He won't get mad."

"I hope you're right." she said. "Because I hear someone coming." Sure enough, Duo heard the light footsteps of his partner coimgin down the steps, followed by Relena's steps. A few moments later, Relena pushed the door open and flipped on the main lightswitch, bathing the dimly lit kitchen area in flourescent light.

"Morning, Bella." she yawned, seeing the girl stirring a large silver bowl of pancake batter. "Morning, Duo."

"Hey, Princess." Duo called out.

"Goodmorning, Relena." Bella replied. "Morning, Preventor Yuy."

"Hn." Heero grunted. "What happened to you, Maxwell?"

"Spilled coffee on me a little while ago." Duo said simply.

"He tipped the chair over backwards and happened to have a hot cup of coffee in his hands." Bella clarified, causing Relena and Heero to look at her. "He got a little burned."

"You okay, Duo?" Relena asked.

"Fine." he said. "Bella fixed me up." A couple minutes of silence passed, giving the two new comers time to get adjusted to the early hour.

"Where's Chang?" Heero asked, noticing that the Chinese man wasn't present like he usually was. "I heard him get up."

"He left earlier." Bella said. "I think he was in trouble with his girlfriend."

"Yeah, Sally kept him on the phone most of the night." Duo said. "He forgot their anniversary."

"Poor guy." Heero mumbled, remembering the last time Wufei had forgotten about his and Sally's anniversary.

"Well, China-man's about to miss breakfast." Bella said, stacking up some pancakes onto the plates set out in front of her. "Hope you guys are hungry."

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A few hours later, everyone was fed and Relena was reading over Bella's speech for the Senate meeting when the phone rang, causing the two working women to jump in surprise. Bella got up and grabbed the cordless phone, walking into the other room so as not to disturb Relena from her reading.

"Hello?"

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"Oh, hey, daddy." Bella said, leaning up against the couch. "How's everything going? You and Rita okay?"

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"Oh, really?"

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"Yeah, I'll tell her. Anything else?"

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"No, I haven't talked to her."

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"Okay, we'll be there this evening."

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"No, everything has been fine here. No problems at all."

---

"Will do, daddy. Bye. Love you, too." Bella hung the phone up and walked back into the kitchen, watching as Relena made a spelling correction on the computer's document. "Well, I've got some news."

"What is it?" Relena asked, her full attention on her friend.

"Daddy said the meetings are starting up again on Monday. And they cut out the last week of meetings because of the threats." Bella answered. "The house is fixed going to be fixed by noon today, as well. And that means we can move you back to it. Dad and Rita are on their way there as we speak."

"They cut the last week?" Relena asked. "I can't see them liking that too much. These beauracrats love to argue, wonder who changed their tune?"

"Don't know, don't really care. But it could be the fact that over half of them have received threatening notes since this started." Bella answered, shrugging her shoulders.. "Should we go tell Heero and Duo the news?"

"Yeah." Relena said, shutting the top on the laptop and getting up from her spot at the table. "Better go relay the message."

---------------------

By the time Relena had packed up her clothing and the Preventors had relocated back to the plantation, Bella was ready to pull her hair out in frustration. She had hoped that Margureite would not be coming home as quickly as she was, but her luck was not with her. When she pulled up to the house, the first person out of the door was none other than Margureite, and she was heading straight for Duo.

"Is everyone okay?" the younger girl asked, waiting for the three Preventors, her sister, and the Vice-Foreign Minister to get out. "Belladonna didn't drive you crazy, did she, Relena?"

"No, the stay at her house was more than pleasant." Relena said, gathering her purse and going to get the suitcase that held her clothing, only to be beaten to the punch by Heero. "It was quite refreshing." Bella saw her sister's face fall in aggravation when Relena's word's sunk in.

Kenneth Covington came out of the house then, along with Rita, only to come hug Relena and Bella.

"I'm glad to see you girls are okay." he said. "I've been worried sick about you both."

"Have they heard anything else about who could possibly be behind the attacks?" Heero asked.

"They've got a few leads." Covington said,as he grabbed Relena's other bag. "But it's not solid. They aren't guaranteeing anything."

"Well, let's see if we can't get you situated back into your room, Relena dear." Mrs. Covington said briskly, shaking her head. "This has been an utter disaster."

"Thank you, Mrs. Covington." Relena said, allowing herself to be led into the expansive home. Bella's phone chose that moment to ring, and the woman pulled it out of her jean pocket with a groan.

"Bella." she said.

............ There was a sigh and the Preventors standing beside her turned to watch as the face of the C.E.O. went from normal to angry in a split second.

---

"When did it get there?"

---

"This morning? And you're just now calling me? What were you thinking?"

---

"I'll be right there."

---

"No, it's okay." she said simply. "I'd rather deal with this one myself."

---

"Well, if you've already called the police, then there is nothing else we can do. Like I said, I'll be there as soon as I can."

---

"No, I'm at my dad's."

---

"Fine." Bella said, her free hand clenching into a fist. "I owe you one, buddy."

---

"Well, I might make it up to you like that, but only if you're a good boy." she said, a smile playing on her lips.

---

"Pervert!" she sighed. "You're hopeless, babe. Listen, let me change clothes and I'll be on my way. Bye." Bella slapped her phone shut and stuck it in her pocket, a frown on her face.

"Something wrong, sister dear?" Margureite asked, her hands on her hips.

"As a matter of fact, there is, Margie." Bella said.

"What is it, pumpkin?" Kenneth Covington asked, turning to his eldest daughter.

"There's been some problems at the office." she said simply. "And I need to get there."

"Anything major?" her father asked.

"Well, not unless you count someone breaking into the building last night and ransacking my office." she said, running her fingers through her hair.

"Did they take anything?" her dad asked.

"Not that Daniel can see." she said. "But I've got to get dressed and get there. The investigator wants to talk to me. Apparently someone hit the research lab in Baton Rouge last night, too. Excuse me, gentlemen." Bella walked away from the men and her sister, practically running into the house and disappering up the stairs. Kenneth Covington followed behind his daughter, wanting to know what else had happened.

"Well, it looks like Belladonna is going to be busy for the remainder of the evening." Margureite said, a half smile on her face as she turned to the remaining men standing in front of her. "So, how about we all get dressed and go get something to eat for dinn...."

"Maxwell," Heero said suddenly, turning to his partner.

"Yeah?"

"You're going with her." he said simply.

"Say what?" Duo asked, looking at his leader as if he had lost his mind. "I'm what?"

"You're going with Ms. Saucier." he said cooly. "Go get some clean clothes on." Duo only nodded and walked into the house, his duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

"But, I thought you three were supposed to be watching Relena?" Margureite said, pinning Heero with a glare. "Won't you be taking away her protection if he goes?"

"Miss Covington," Heero said, glaring back at the girl standing off to the side of him. "Maxwell is under my command, and he does as I say. Your personal interest in him is not going to get in the way of what he needs to do. As for your paranoia of him being around Ms. Saucier, get over it." With that last remark, Heero turned towards the house and walked in, Wufei held back a smirk and followed him.

Margureite watched in anger as the two men entered into the house, leaving her alone in the driveway. She already had her suspicions that Duo had attached himself to her older sister, and she didn't like it one bit. She stomped her foot in a childish display of temper and pulled her cellular phone from her pocket, hitting the speed dial to an all to familiar number.

"Yeah, Neil, it's Margie." she said, walking towards the back of her father's house. "I've got something for you to do for me."

---------------------

When Belladonna and Duo got to her office building in the heart of the central business district, Bella was on edge as to what was going on this time. When she parked the SUV and got out, Duo right beside her, she headed straight for the doors of the office building, and was met by an utterly exasperated Daniel Marks.

"What's the damage report, Danny?" she asked, pushing their way to the elevator.

"Well, the computer network wasn't targeted this time." he said in a huff. "In fact, we aren't sure if anything is even gone. It's like whoever broke in just done it to ransack your office and trip the alarm. As far as I can tell, nothing is gone. But your office has a new coat of paint on the walls."

"What about that letter you got this morning?" she asked.

"The police have it right now." he said. "Whoever the hell sent that is pissed at us, Bella. They threatened everyone from you and me to the janitor's families."

"You got a threat, Bella?" Duo asked, listening in on the conversation and not liking what he was hearing. "You didn't tell me that."

"Well, I wasn't about to say anything in front of my dad." she said hotly. "And I was too mad to say anything about it on the way here." The three people made their way up to the office, and into the mess that was the waiting room. She was stopped upon entering the waiting room outside her office, and forced to answer a bunch of questions from the captain of the squad before she was finally allowed any further inside the room. Bella took one look at her secretary Gracie and mentally reminded herself to put the woman up for a raise for putting up with such a mess. She went to step into her office behind Daniel, but a burly man in a NOPD uniform stopped her, and pointed back at Duo, who was behind her.

"We can't let him in." the man said gruffly.

"He's fine." Bella said hotly.

"Sorry ma'am." the police officer said, shaking his head. "Orders from the captain. No one other than you and your employees are allowed inside."

"Do you have anymore questions for me, sir?" Bella asked, looking up at the burly man.

"No ma'am." he said. "You're free to look around and see if anything is missing. But please don't touch anything."

"It's okay, Belle." Duo said, nodding at the man in understanding. "Go ahead, and I'll talk to Gracie until you get finished." He gave her a wink and Bella nodded, stepping into her ransacked office, praying that everything was going to turn out alright.

----------------------

Duo plopped himself down on a seat across from Gracie's desk and looked at the frazzled woman. He looked around him carefully and noticed that nothing seemed to be out of place.

"What happened, Gracie?" Duo asked when the woman placed the phone on the hook.

"Someone sent a letter to Bella, threatening to hurt everyone in this building if she didn't _'back off of what is rightfully mine'._ " Gracie said, using her fingers to emphasize the last phrase of the letter.

"Do you have any idea as to who it is?" Duo asked the woman, only to recieve a negative answer.

"Bella's not exactly the angel of the business world, Mr. Maxwell." Gracie said with a sigh, rubbing her temples. "Hell, the woman isn't an angel, period. She doesn't use underhanded tactics like blackmail against her competitors, even though she's got enough to put half of this city in prison. She just drives a hard bargain. And heaven knows she's made plenty of mistakes and enemies in her life, but no one has ever gone so far as to threaten her like this."

"No one is perfect, Gracie." Duo said, nodding. "And Bella is not an exception. There's no doubt about that."

----------------------

The second Bella stepped into her office, she felt her stomach drop somewhere near the vicinity of her feet. Her normally clean, if a little cluttered office, was a mess of papers and red paint. It looked like some psycho had come in and painted random words on her walls with blood red paint. Bella looked around and slowly began to try and make sense of the words and phrases surrounding them.

And then it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Well, like I said, it's a damn mess." Daniel said, looking at his boss, only to notice the pale color of her skin. "Boss? Hey, you okay? Boss?" Unfortunately for the concerned man, his boss only shook her head as the words imprinted themselves onto her conscience.

_'Bourbon St. Mardi Gras. Fight. Do you remember? Madness. March 14. Betrayal. Hurt. Tequila. Hate.'_ Bella shook her head as it flooded with memories of what had happened no so many years ago, knowing that whomever had done this, knew exactly what had happened to her, and what she had done. _'Baby. Dead. Whore. You know what happens to bad girls. Accident. Hell. Devil. June 22nd. Kill. How could you? We will get you....no matter where you run! Killer. Whiskey. Bitch. Rum. Murderer.'_ Bella struggled to stand up when her eyes landed on a phrase that was all alone along the northern wall, a phrase she knew all to well, and that had etched it's way into her heart almost three years before. _'...and Given over into the hands of God, I know you will forever be watching over us all. My life. My love. My only beloved son. Christopher Justin Gaylan._

"Boss!" came Daniel's almost panicing voice, pulling Belladonna out of her memories and forcing her to see the people who were standing around her. Somehow or another, Duo had managed to push his way into the room, and was now practically holding her up, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly. She felt a slap to her face and her eyes focused on her red headed vice-president.

"Damn it all to hell, Belladonna!" He growled at her. "Answer me!"

"Who did this?" Bella croaked out, her voice choked and the tears in her eyes on the verge of falling down her cheeks. "Who's responsible for this?"

"We don't know ma'am." the officier said. "But we're looking into it as we speak. Do you have any idea who could have done this, now that you've seen it?"

"No." Bella said, her eyes hardening. "I don't know of anyone."

"Do those dates mean anything to you?" the officier asked. Bella only shook her head.

"Not that I can recall." she said, still shaking her head. Duo looked at her carefully, picking up on her anger and nervousness. "Did you need me for anything else?"

"No ma'am." he said. "We've found out what we needed. If we turn up anything, we'll give you a call immediately." The burly man nodded to Duo and jerked his head towards the door. "Get your girlfriend out of here, buddy. She's had one hell of a shock."

"Yeah." Duo said, eyeing the way Bella had tensed up and her tears had disappeared when her eyes stayed fixed to the northern wall of her office. "Let's go, Bella." He tried to turn her away from the wall, but it was like she was cemented to the floor. He put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a light shake. "Bella?"

"Sorry." she said quickly. "I....sorry..."

"No problem. Let's go." he said. Belladonna nodded and turned to walk out of the room, Duo right behind her, and Daniel behind him. No one said anything until they got back to the SUV, and Duo took the keys from her. She got into the front and rolled the window down, beckoning Daniel to come closer.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Can you handle this mess on your own?" she asked coldly, her gaze up on the building she had just exited.

"Yeah. I can." he said. "You can count on me, Boss."

"Listen to me carefully, Daniel." Bella said, eyeing the young man in front of her. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Name it, Boss."

"My vacation is going to be running a little longer than I expected." she said. "There's some stuff I'm going to need to take care of since this has happened. I need you to run this place like you have been for the past week. Pull Corey from the tech department and get her to help you. If there's something you don't understand, she'll know. And if the two of you can't figure anything out, call me."

"Boss, what's going on?" Daniel asked. "What's happened?"

"Somebody is trying to play God." she said simply. "And their trying to bring back someone who isn't coming back."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_A/N - Okay, how was that chapter? Everyone good and confused yet? Good, you're supposed to be. :) Anyhow, things will work their way out in a few chapters or so. So don't despair. _**

_**Later,**_

_**A.A.**_

_**Remember to review, I want to know what you guys are thinking.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer - It's not mine. Never was. _

_Special thanks to:  **Lizzard**, **ahanchan**, and **Ryla** for leaving me a review for the last chapter.  Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.  You really don't know how much it helps to know that there are some people who actually seem to like this story. _

_--------------------_

_Duo's Dilemma_

_Chapter 9 _

_Secrets Revealed_

_--------------------_

"You okay over there, Bella?" Duo asked when they finally got away from the office building and into the traffic leaving the central business district. The woman had remained utterly silent ever since sending her vice-president back into the building with orders to pull the tech specialist out of her own office to help clean up the mess. She had stared out of the slightly tinted window of the SUV and watched as the scenery passed by on the way back to the plantation.

The apparent attack on her office building had scared her, that much was easy to see. But what had him so confused was the way she had just..for lack of a better description..shut herself off from the people around her. His only consolation that she hadn't turned into a statue was the way her hand was resting on her lower abdomen, tapping slightly as they passed out of the city and into the less densely populated suburban areas surrounding New Orleans. "Bella?"

"Yes?" she answered, her voice hollow and right on the verge of cracking.

"I know this is a stupid question, but are you okay?" he asked.

"You want the truth, or you want me to lie to ya'?" she said simply, still not facing him.

"Truth would be nice."

"No, I'm not okay."

"You wanna tell me what this is all about?" he asked

"Not particularly." she answered. "And you don't need to worry yourself. What just happened in there has absolutely nothing to do with Relena."

"And you know this, how?"

"I just know it."

The rest of the trip to the plantation house was in silence. And when they arrived back, Senator Covington and his wife were the first to meet them, along with Relena. Duo got out of the vehicle and caught Heero's eyes, nodding in his direction in acknowledgement while Bella spoke quietly with her father in rapid French. Apparently whatever was being discussed between the father and daughter was not to be heard by the others present. After a few moments, Kenneth Covington leaned down and murmured something into his wife's ear, causing the woman to nod. Before Duo could get around the vehicle, and Relena could get to Belladonna to see if she was alright, the eldest daughter had pushed her way past everyone and into the house with her father right behind her.

"What is going on, Mrs. Covington?" Relena asked, turning to the slight woman infront of her. "What's wrong with Belladonna?"

"I'm afraid I don't have the rights to answer that question, Miss Relena." the older woman said, shaking her head sadly. "You'll have to ask her yourself." Relena seemed flustered with not being able to get an answer, and went inside to see if there was something she could do to help her shool time friend. Mrs. Covington followed behind her, not exactly knowing what to do.

"What happened Maxwell?" Heero questioned his subordinate immediately.

"Her office was completely destroyed." Duo said, rubbing his head in confusion. "The place was trashed. And someone decided to leave her a lot of nasty little words painted all over the walls."

"Words?" Wufei asked. "What kind of words?"

"Regular words, 'Fei." he said. "None of them were too pretty. I can tell you that much."

"Did it look like a stalker's work?" Heero asked.

"Not really." Duo answered. "Whomever it was knew their way around. And could get into the building without any trouble. Nothing was stolen, according to the vice-president guy. It was just trashed." The three men's attention was quickly drawn back to the entrance to the large house when Bella came out of it, caring a large duffle bag as well as her bag for her laptop and talking on her cell phone to someone.

"Yeah, I know. I will. Bye." Bella flipped the phone shut and popped the hatch to her SUV, throwing the duffle bag and her laptop bag in the back. By the time she got it shut, her father was standing at the front door, a frown on his face, and his head shaking.

"Where you going, Bella?" Duo asked, watching as she walked over to her father and gave him a hug, whispering something in his ear. She turned back around and walked down the steps towards her vehicle. "Bella?"

"I'm getting out of here before I get anyone else killed." she said firmly, opening the door to her SUV and sliding in, buckling herself into the seat and starting the engine.

"What are you babbling about, woman?" Wufei asked, pinning her with a glare that would rival Heero's own at times. "No one's dead."

"And I intend on keeping it that way." she growled, getting ready to pull out of the driveway until Margureite came walking out of the house with a cordless phone in her hands and waiving for Bella to wait. Belladonna glared at her younger sister and stepped out of her vehicle, taking the phone and listening to whomever was on the other line. No words were uttered from Bella, but everyone present could see how she paled considerably before handing her step-sibling the phone and leaning up against the door for support.

The sisters began to converse in French, and Duo shook his head, wondering why they couldn't just talk in English. However, he wasn't given much time to contemplate when a ringing slap was heard, and all four men in the yard looked up to see a grim face on Belladonna and a startled and angered Margureite standing in front of her, holding her cheek as it turned red.

"Belladonna!" her father called, the warning evident in his voice. "Do not hit your sister!"

"This little bitch isn't my sister." she said, glaring at Margureite one last time before climbing in and settling herself down to leave. "She's a jealous little girl who gets angry when things don't go her way."

"Belladonna..." her fathered warned. "Now is not the time."

"You know where to find me, daddy." the angered older woman said. "I'll call when I get there." And with that, she was pulling out of the driveway of the large estate.

Heero looked over the situation, trying to piece together what had just happened in front of him. He frowned when he noticed the slight smile on Marguereite's face, although it was hidden slightly by her hand. Covington did not look all that happy. And his other two Preventors looked just as confused about what had just happened as he was.

"Mr. Covington, where's she going?" Duo asked, slightly confused. "Shouldn't she have some sort of protection after what just happened this morning?"

"She will have, Mr. Maxwell." he said wearily.

"Where's she going?" Wufei asked.

"She's going home." Margureite said spitefully. "About damned time too."

"You mean she's going back to her house?" Heero asked.

"No, Mr. Yuy." Senator Covington said. "She's going back to where she grew up."

"Which is?" Duo asked, waiting for the older man to expound on the explanation.

"Outerspace." he said sadly. "She's going back to L2."

---------------------

That evening, Relena was more than just restless, she was worried to death. After a subdued dinner, everyone had went their seperate ways. Margureite had tried to coerce her into going shopping in the French Quarter and then going to see a movie, but she had declined; telling her that she was tired and only wanted to go to sleep. It seemed as though things were completely thrown off course with Belladonna's sudden departure earlier that day. Heero and Wufei were on edge because they couldn't find out what had happened to cause the usually vibrant woman to react so suddenly; Duo was broody because of Margureite's unwanted attention; and Mr. and Mrs. Covington were pacing the floors. The only person that seemed relatively normal was Margureite.

Forturnately, the two eldest Covington's finally calmed down later that evening when the phone rang, and Bella apparently assured them that things were okay where she was. Relena did not get to talk to her at all, but she was glad to hear that she was alright. Later, Relena had managed to con Heero into getting a hold of Sally back at Preventors Headquarters and getting her to dig up more information on Belladonna so they could try and find out what was going on. Sally promised to do what she could, then get back in touch with them within the next fourty-eight hours.

The next day, Relena and Senator Covington sat through meetings and councils for the majority of the time they were at the Peace Summit. When they got home, everyone was cranky, even Heero. Dinner had been pizza and soft drinks. It seemed like everyone was in a depressed state with Belladonna gone. Duo had managed to get his hands on the information from the police about the break in at Belladonna's office building, and had showed a copy of the pictures of the damage to Heero, Relena, and Wufei.

Heero was still overly concerned that this was somehow related to the attack on Covington's house a few days before, and tried once again to talk Relena into leaving. Unfortunately for the stubborn Preventor, the Vice Foreign Minister was still not willing to budge from her spot. Relena did agree to leave should something else happen to her, but she was not going to leave just because Heero had a hunch that something was going to happen.

Duo was probably the worst of all of them, save Mr. and Mrs. Covington. With Belladonna's departure, the poor guy had been subjected to Margureite's constant attention any time they were in the same room, and it started the minute Belladonna had left. It finally got to the point where Duo told her to get lost and leave him alone. But Margureite was nothing, if not persistent. Duo was ready to snap without Belladonna there to run interference for him from her younger sister.

Luckily, they got a call from Sally right before they were getting ready for bed on Tuesday evening. The timing could not have been any better, because Relena and Senator Covington had just found out that Bella's Board of Directors had withdrawn their funding and backing for quite a number of suggested large projects the Summit delegates were to discuss. Unfortunately, without his own daughter's backing, Kenneth Covington had had a hard time arguing his case to his opponents. Senator Covington had not seemed surprised at the change in events, and that had left Relena suspicious that he knew something but was not telling them.

Heero had transfered the call to the vidcam in Covington's office and gathered Relen, Duo and Wufei to hear the news.

"What did you find, Sally?" Heero asked, sitting down in a nearby chair across from Wufei. "Anything that can be useful as to what is going on around this place?"

"Not really." the blonde woman answered with a sigh. "But I did turn up some dates that matched those two you gave me, Duo. Surprisingly enough, they do have something to do with Covington's daughter. But two of the three names you gave me, Christopher and Justin, never show up once. The name Gaylan shows up plenty, though."

"Give us what you got." Relena said seriously.

"Well, it seems that Belladonna Saucier was involved in an accident about two years ago." Sally said, reading from a folder of information. "It happened March 14, A.C. 199 right outside of New Orleans. Apparently, she was with a friend, and they were driven off the road by another vehicle, and straight into oncoming traffic. There were three fatalities, and one woman was put into a coma."

"You got the names of the ones that died?" Wufei asked.

"Yeah." Sally answered, flipping to another page of the folder. "The guy driving was Joseph Gaylan. He was a Preventor with the New Orleans branch, but hadn't been working there for very long. Another was Justin Bienville. He was a marketing analyzer with SouthTech Corp. But I haven't been able to find out the third."

"What about the girl who was put into a coma?" Duo asked.

"Maria Sanchez." Sally said. "She and the Bienville guy were the ones that were responsible for running Ms. Saucier and the other guy off the road. She was in a coma for a little over three months before she died on June 22nd, A.C. 199. The only thing that has me confused is the fact that this story was never released to the public. It was written up and put in the paper, but later taken out. One copy was printed and given to the editor to go over, but he took the story out. No reason is given as to why."

"What were the causes of death?" Duo asked. "Did you get your hands on the coroner's reports?"

"Of course." Sally said. "Bienville died instantly of a broken neck and spine. Gaylan had massive internal hemorraging, and bled to death on the scene. Bienville and Sanchez's blood alcohol levels were slightly above legal as well. Saucier walked away with a number of cuts, bruises, and broken bones, as well as a major concussion. Other than that, her alcohol level was right at what is legal in Lousiana. So she wasn't clinically drunk. Gaylan had just a light trace in his system, not nearly enough to inebriate him though."

"Any connection between the group of them?" Wufei asked. "Did they know each other?"

"Apparently Gaylan and Ms. Saucier had been dating for a while." Sally said, referring to the report in her hands. "The Bienville guy was tied into them through Saucier's younger sister, Margureite. Apparently she had been dating his older brother Phillip when he was killed. As for the Sanchez girl, I haven't figured out where she fits into all of this yet. But I do know that her father is one of the delegates at the Summit Meeting."

"Manuel Sanchez?" Heero guessed, remembering that he was the one who had vetoed some proposal Relena had written for the meetings before they had ever gotten to the United States.

"Yep." she said. "Good guess."

"You have anything else for us?" Duo asked. "Like where she's headed right now?"

"Well, I ran through the databases at the shuttle ports near New Orleans like you asked, and found out that your girl is headed to the L4 colony cluster for two weeks, then heading to L2." Sally said. "As for what she's doing there, I don't know."

"Is there anything in either of the colony clusters related to her job?" Heero asked. "Refining plants, storage facilities, stuff like that?"

"There's a research lab on L4 that works under her corporation. Most everything else around the place is Quatre's domain." Sally said. "And as for L2, there is a refining plant on one of the outer resource satellites that is owned and operated under the SaucierCorp. name. It says here that L2 is her home colony cluster anyways. Maybe she plans on laying low for a while. Letting things blow over, you know."

"This still doesn't explain why she ran." Duo said. "There's more to this. There's got to be."

"I agree." Relena said. "Bella's never been the type to just up and run. She's not afraid to fight."

"Sally, see what else you can turn up about that other fatality." Heero said.

"I'll see what I can do, Heero." she said.

"Keep us posted." Duo said.

"Will do. Sally, out." Sally's face disappeared from the screen and Duo flipped the monitor off with a gruff growl.

"Lot of good that did." he mumbled.

"Well, it's better than nothing." Wufei answered solemnly. "Although there is still more unanswered questions."

"There's nothing else we can do for the night." Heero said. "We'll see what else we can dig up tomorrow after the Summit Meetings. Maxwell, take your position outside for the watch. The rest of us are going to get some rest." The group said their goodnights, and parted ways once again. Duo was still more than a little angry at Belladonna, and wished he could talk to her and see what was going on.

Apparently his wish was heard by some higher being, and his cell phone rang a few hours into his nighttime patrol of the grounds. When he looked at the number and didn't recognize it, Duo immediately suspected it was Hilde.

"Maxwell." he said, his eyes absently scanning the grounds around him for any signs of intruders.

"Well, don't you sound all cheerful." came an amused voice from the other end of the line. "Hello to you too, Duo."

"Who is this?" Duo asked, a frown on his face as his mind ran the voice he was hearing through his head.

"I'm hurt, Maxwell." the woman pouted. "I've only been gone two days, and you've forgotten me already."

"Bella?" he questioned, not believing his luck. "That you? How'd you get this number?"

"Took you long enough." she laughed. "I figured you would see the new number and think I was Hilde or something."

"The thought did cross my mind." he conceded, a small frown on his face as he took a seat on the porch swing at the front of the house. "What's going on? Where are you at?"

"Currently, I am en route to the L4 colony cluster." she said with a sigh. "How's everything down there?"

"Quiet as a mouse." Duo said. "Nothing out of the ordinary at all. In fact, I think Yuy is getting paranoid because things are so quiet."

"Is Relena okay? Can I talk to her?"

"Princess is fine." Duo said. "But she's sleeping right now. It's a little after one in the morning here."

"Oh, I didn't realize. Sorry about that." Bella said sincerely. "I kinda forget the time when I've been in space for a while."

"I know the feeling." Duo said, remembering the countless days and nights he had spent in space when he still piloted his beloved Deathscythe. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why'd you leave?" Duo asked. "Everyone down here is worried sick, especially your parents."

"Everyone?" she asked. "I have a hard time believing that one."

"Well don't. Even Wufei is all grumpy without having anyone to argue with." Duo said grimly. "Relena is worried sick about you, which puts Heero in a bad mood. And have I mentioned the way that guy acts when he's in a bad mood? It ain't pretty, I'll tell you that much. I just got my head back on straight after he bit it off and spit it out somewhere in the back yard. And I don't feel like losing it again."

"What about Margureite?" Bella asked. "What's she doing?"

"Annoying the holy hell out of me." Duo grumbled. "Is she really that dense, or is she just acting that way 'cause she thinks it's cute?"

"Well, if I told you she was acting, I'd be lying to you." Bella said. "I'm sorry, Duo. I really am. But..I've got some things I need to take care of before I get back to Earth."

"When do you plan on coming back?" Duo asked.

"Probably a few weeks after the Summit Meeting ends." she said. "Things will have cooled down by then. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I was just wondering what's making you run so suddenly." Duo said. "You don't seem like a person who just ups and leaves when things get tough."

"Things, Duo." she answered. "Just some things that I don't want to deal with right now."

"You mean you aren't gonna tell me?" Duo whined playfully, a grin on his face even though she couldn't see it. "Come on! I'm a good guy. You can trust me. Scout's honor!" He heard Belladonna laugh and could almost see her shaking her head at his antics.

"I can't see you as a boy scout." she said after finally getting control of herself.

"That's beside the point." he said, waving it off. "Besides, Relena wants to know if there is any way she can help you. I'm telling you, the last time she was this worried, Heero had taken off on some mission and she hadn't heard from him for over two weeks!"

"Can you get Relena to call me tomorrow after she gets back from the meetings?" Bella asked. "I'd like to talk to her, but I can't risk calling the house. I should be at my hotel by then."

"Why not?"

"Margureite." she said.

"You think your own sister has something to do with what happened at your office?" Duo asked.

"I have a hunch." Bella said. "And a strong one at that."

"She's one of the ones who knew what the dates on the wall would mean, huh?" he asked. "The day you wrecked, and the day that Sanchez girl died, right?" There was a few moments of silence, and Duo realized that he'd opened his mouth and put his foot in it. "Bella?"

"How'd you know about that?" she asked quietly.

"We looked it up from the old newspapers." he said. "Princess wanted to find out what she could in case you needed any help."

"That information was not supposed to be printed. And I really wish you wouldn't have been digging in that stuff." she said stonily. "Some of that is personal, very personal."

"I know. I know." he said. "But Princess wanted to know what was happening. And since no one else was up to giving any information out, we had to find out ourselves what was going on."

"Duo, yours, Heero's, and Wufei's job is to keep Relena safe." Belladonna said simply. "Not go digging into stuff that happened to me two years ago. And you can't be focusing all your attention on Relena's safety if ya'll are compiling dirt on me."

"We didn't mean to pry." Duo said. A grumble was heard on the other end of the line that sounded suspiciously like _'And what the hell were you doing? Looking for some light evening reading?'_ , and Duo winced. "Okay, well maybe we were, but still.... By the way, who was that third fatality? Bienville and Gaylan were named, but we couldn't find a name for the third person who died in that accident." He heard a sharp intake of breath from the woman and wondered if he'd just done some major irrepairable damage. "Bella, who was it? Why weren't they named?" The other end of the phone remained utterly silent, and Duo was beginning to think that she had hung up on him. But Bella finally broke the silence after a few more pregnant moments of awkwardness, her voice strained and on the verge of cracking.

"Duo, listen to me, please." she said. "I haven't known you that long. What's it been? Two weeks, give or take a few days, since you guys got to the States?"

"About." Duo said, wondering how this related to the question he had just asked her.

"Exactly. Like I said, things happen in that blasted town that no one needs to know about." Belladonna said. "Most of the people in high positions around the city have done some nasty things to get there. Hell, even the mayor has a rap record half a mile long!"

"You're kidding me?"

"No, I'm not." she said. "But the thing is, the majority of the people in the city don't know how crooked and corrupt their so called _'civil leaders' _are."

"You say this like you know it for a fact."

"Corporate espionage happens to be one of my more favorite hobbies." she said saucily. "It's good to know who not to piss off around there."

"But what have they got on you?" Duo asked. "Your record came back clean when we ran you through Preventor's databases." He could hear a slight chuckle in the background and wondered what she found so funny.

"I came back clean, did I?" she asked. "Well, imagine that."

"Why do I get the feeling you're hiding something from us?" Duo growled, growing impatient with the woman he was talking to. "Something that we need to know."

"Don't get your britches in a twist, Maxwell." Bella answered. "I'm not hiding anything illegal if that is what you're worried about. My dealings with my company are completely legit. You could search all day, audit every part of the business and you'll never find one thing to get me on. It's clean, and if you don't believe me, go check yourself. Hell, I'll even give you the passwords to find the records, not that you'd need them anyways."

"Cool your jets, Belle." Duo said. "I wasn't accusing you of anything. We just wanted to know why you're running if you've got nothing to hide."

"I've got nothing to hide from anyone as far as my corporation goes." she said, sighing slightly. "It's just some things that happened that I don't want to have to face."

"So it's something personal?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you are too damned inquisitive for your own good?" she asked, "Not to mention too damned observant."

"It's a gift."

"_Hmph_. That's one thing to call it." she grumbled.

"It is." Duo said. "And does this have anything to do with your Board of Directors pulling their funding and backing from a couple of the projects that are to be presented at the Summit meetings for discussion? You do realize that little action on your part left a lot of people in a tough spot today during the arguements."

"Like I said, you're too damned observant." she mumbled. "Look, Duo, just get Relena to call me sometime tomorrow, okay. Just tell her to make sure Margie isn't around."

"You really think your sister has something to do with this don't you?"

"Yes. I do."

"No family love between you two, is there?"

"You're just now figuring this out?" she asked. "I thought it was quite apparent with the amount of tension in one room anytime we were within yelling range of each other."

"But she's your sister!"

"Doesn't matter." Bella said. "I know a guy who turned his father into the police on embezzlement charges just to get his hands on the family company. His dad wound up with a life sentence in the state pen because his son got greedy and power hungry.  Besides, Margie is not as...innocent...as she'd like to make you think she is."

"This is one screwed up town." Duo muttered.

"Tell me something I don't know, hun." Bella said. "Anyhow, I've got to go. There's some paperwork I need to go over before tomorrow and I want to get it done before I go to sleep. You'll give 'Lena my message right?"

"Yeah. I'll tell her." Duo said. "One question though."

"I'm all ears."

"Why did you tell me this?" Duo asked. "You said yourself I just met you two weeks ago."

"Well, considering you are guarding possibly the most important figurehead in our world while she's stuck in the middle of a city with the world's probably most corrupt politicians, I figured you had the right to." Bella said simply. "That and the fact that Relena trusts you, so it's okay with me. I figure if you've gained her trust then you can't be all bad, right?"

"Thanks for that wonderful vote of confidence in me." Duo said dryly. "I'm touched, really I am. But how do you know I'm not some psycho terrorist whose just playing the part of a faithful Preventor in order to get closer to Princess before I asassinate her?"

"Because Heero hasn't killed you yet." she deadpanned. "That's why."

"Point taken." Duo said, scratching his head. "I hadn't thought of that one."

"Well, cover all your bases next time." Bella said, a slight hint of teasing in her voice as the connection began to cackle with interference.

"You still there, Bella?"

"Yes, but we're going through something that's cutting the connection." Bella's broken voice said. "Get 'Lena to call me later on, Duo. Please? I need to talk to...."

"Bella? Bella? Hey, can you hear me?" he asked, only to receive no answer to his inquiry. "Well, I guess not." The braided Preventor only shook his head and stood up from the swing, going back to his rounds after a few more minutes of internal contemplation and running his and Bella's conversation through his head.

He seriously wondered why he was so concerned about the young woman's well being. Like she had pointed out, his job was to protect Relena, not concern himself with her. But something on the inside of him kept telling him that Bella needed more monitoring that Relena did. Now, he knew he was not one to worry un-neccessarily about other people. He had gotten used to being worried about Hilde not long after they had started dating after the war, but most of that was centered around his concern of her infidelity.. But when they had broken up, he had told himself that he was not going to get involved with another woman for a long time.

Now, he found himself concerned about some woman who he'd known less than two weeks, and who obviously was on the run from some demons from her own past.

"Hell, she's not even all that pretty." he grumbled, pulling his jacket tightly around him as the cool February winds kicked up again. "What's got me so damned hung up on her, and willing to go through the same shit Hilde put me through once again?"

Of course, even if he didn't want to admit it to himself, -mostly because he didn't want to admit that he'd found Bella to be a better person than Hilde had ever been- Duo knew that his slight attraction to the young woman did not stem from her physical appearance, but more from her attitude. She wasn't the prettiest woman he'd ever seen. Hell, if he was going to be brutally honest with himself, he'd seen plently of women who looked better than she did. Which wasn't saying she was a hag, but she wasn't drop dead gorgeous either. But what had kept his attention from the first time he'd set his eyes on her was the way she carried herself.

Belladonna Saucier was a strong woman who knew what she wanted, and what she had to do to get it. She was focused, and she was grounded. Two qualities that Hilde had seemed to lack the more Duo had gotten to know her. Belladonna was no angel, and didn't pretend to be one for the sake of impressing anyone else. She was moody, and rude, and blunt. Three traits that most women of Bella's status tried to hide away under a cheery exterior.

Hell, he'd seen Relena do it more times than anyone. Many people of the world still saw the blonde woman as a human manifestation of peace. A symbol of hope and cooperation who was as pure as the driven snow. Someone who was always there to lend a helping hand to those in need, and seemingly never had a bad day in their entire life. Of course, none of that held truth. Relena's position as the Vice Foreign Minister forced her to appear as the _'dove of peace' _everytime she stepped into the spotlight...just to hold up appearances. It wasn't who she was in real life. Duo knew the stress and hard work often drove the young woman close to nervous breakdowns, and he was forever grateful knowing that Relena could be herself around him and a select few others...moodiness, grumpiness, and sarcasm included.

But Belladonna...there was no false mask stopping her. She was a normal, approachable woman who had the mentality of _'Here I am. This is what you get when you deal with me. Don't like it, then get over it. Cause I'm not about to change to suit anyone else's whims.'_

"You're losing your mind, Maxwell ol' boy." Duo muttered to himself as he passed by another Preventor and nodded in recognition. "Leave her alone, and things will even themselves out. Get your mind on your work and forget about her. You're job is to keep Princess safe, not butt in on someone else's life. You're only asking for trouble."

It was unfortunate for him that his conscious did not obey commands as easily as his subordinates did.

-----

Belladonna shut her cell phone off and tried to relax into her seat, thanking the heavens that she had gotten a hold of Duo when she had called. She really needed to talk to Relena, but knew that calling her own house was a good way to get into more trouble. She had already received two more letters threatening her family and employees if she did not get out of town and not come back until the Summit Meetings were over with. One had been on the door of her house, and she had found it after she'd left her father's house two days before. The second one had been in a locker at the shuttle port where she had left Earth. Whoever it was that was threatening her had known where she would be heading in order to get out of town. And the only people who knew where she would head were the ones in her family, which strenghtened her belief that Margureite had something to do with it.

The mess at her office had been enough to scare twenty years off of her life. And it was then that she had realized that whoever it was that was causing all this trouble for her meant serious business. So, she did the only thing she could logically think of...she left. She didn't like the idea of running away, but she rationalized her departure as an oppurtunity to check in on some of her research laboratories and refining plants in space. Besides, she was long overdue for a visit to some of her dear friends on L2, and going home for a while would give her time to re-orient herself and get a firm grounding of what was going on before returning to Earth. She trusted Daniel and Corey to run the company, and could always keep intouch via e-mail if need be, so that was not an obstacle.

Now her only problem was keeping Relena and her bodyguards from digging up information that she had tried to bury two years before. Her little accident on Mardi Gras could have caused not only her ruin, but her father's as well, and she had used every contact she'd had at that time to stop the story from being published. Thankfully stopping any ridiculous scandal that the paparazzi could have cooked up when they found her with Joseph Gaylan, a Preventor for the New Orleans branch who she had been dating at the time.

Joseph Gaylan had been her knight in shining armor when she'd met him, or so she'd thought. The only problem was...he was already dating another girl, Maria Sanchez. She was the daughter of some political figure around the area, but Bella hadn't cared. It had been love at first sight between Bella and Joseph, and it had not been long after that when he had called his relationship with Maria off, and turned to Bella, who had welcomed him into her world with open arms. Needless to say, Maria had not been a happy woman, accusing Bella of stealing her boyfriend and trying to wreck her life.

Nearly a year had passed, and Maria was still demeaning Bella every chance she got. The day of the crash, a very drunk Maria had cornered Bella and Joseph while they were at a parade in the city and started yelling and shouting like a banshee. She had eventually calmed down and left with her friends, but Bella had been concerned and Joseph had suggested that they leave before things got out of hand.

Bella's eyes clouded in anguish as she remembered the man who had practically held her heart in his hands for such a long time. She had loved him more than anything, and his death had been hard on her. She could have dealt with his death, given time, but the hardest thing about the whole fiasco had been when the doctors had told her that she had been pregnant when the crash accured. And the accident had caused her body to abort the baby, her and Joseph's baby, because of what had happened.

_'That's the third fatality that they couldn't find.'_ she thought sadly, looking out through the window of the shuttle and into the inky depths of space. _'Our baby wasn't named when the accident happened because neither Joseph or myself knew I was pregnant.'_ Her heart sank at the familiar feelings of despair and loss that had never went away since the day she had found out her baby was dead. They were a constant reminder of her wrecklessness while in love with Joseph.

_'It wasn't the threats that made me run.'_ she realized with a sigh. _'I could have dealt with the media finding out about what happened. I ran because I was afraid of facing what I was responsible for. I ran because I can't face the memories of my child lying dead in my arms because of my foolishness. Maria's anger to me and Joseph was the cause of my baby's death. It's my fault he's not with me right now. '_ Bella wiped away the tears that were forming in her eyes and shook her head in order to clear her thoughts.

What had happened was in the past, and there was no way she could change what she'd done. She'd moved on with her life after the death of her son and her boyfriend, immersing herself in work to make up for the lacking or relationships outside her family. Now, with the arrival of her school time friend Relena Dorlian and her crazy bodyguard known as Duo Maxwell, she was beginning to realize what she had missed out the past two years while she was hoarded up in her office.

Relena had always been the one who she could turn to during school, and she'd hated the fact that they'd drifted apart during the years of war. But now that she was back in touch, Bella did not intend on losing ground with her friend again.

And Duo, well that was another story all together. Bella smiled, knowing that the braided Preventor was probably mad at her for the lack of information on her part during their conversation earlier. He was a kindred spirit to her. Someone who could make her laugh and act childish again without being condemned. Something only Joseph had been able to do. He was a good guy who held as much faith in Relena as Heero did, and Bella had no doubt that he would stand beside his friends until the very end. She once again shook her head to clear her errant thoughts about the friendly man who she had gotten to know over the past two weeks.

_'You're getting in over your head, girly.'_ she thought as she pulled paperwork out of her briefcase. _'He's 'Lena's bodyguard. Besides, he's already got one girl chasing after him. And I'll be damned to an eternity in the hottest layers of hell before someone else accuses me of trying to steal their man!' _That had already happened one time, and it had eventually lead her to where she was now:

Sitting on a shuttle, running from her past because she couldn't face what she'd done.

And she'd be damned if she was going to go through that kind of hell again.

--------------------------------------------------------------

_A/N- I hope you guys are enjoying the story. This chapter should have cleared up a few things.  It didn't go the way I had it planned, but...c'est la vie!  So__ if you are still confused, please feel free to email me at I'll be more than willing to answer any questions._

_Later,_

_A.A._

_Oh, and before I go, I had someone email me and tell me that Belladonna was a classic example of the Mary-Sue type characters many people write. Now, I don't mind the concept of Mary-Sue's.  In fact, there are some wonderful stories with that sort of character in it.  But I do want to know if my character Belladonna seems like some sort of  perfect little Mary-Sue.  I was really trying not to write her like that, and I thought I was succeding, but apparently I've not._

_What I'm asking is that if you review, will you please give me your opinion on this.  I really want some other opinions from my readers._

_Thanks again,_

_Avonnaly-Ariemay_


	10. Chapter 10

Dislcaimer - It's not mine. Never was. Not making any money off of this. The only thing I'm responsible for is Bella and her family/friends/enemies...you get the point.

_A/N - Hey everyone! Bet you thought I was dead, huh? Nope, I'm back!_

_I'm glad I've seemed to keep a few of you entertained up until this point. Hope you like the way this story is going. And special thanks to the people below:_

_**lizzard- **A Mary-Sue is a type of character that is seemingly perfect. They usually come from a horrid background, but manage to somehow have the absolutely perfect life. Everyone likes them, and they have few enemies. They always get the guy/girl in the end, and manage to teach a lesson somewhere in the middle of their story. In other words, they are not very 'original' characters. **And thanks for kicking me in my rear and bugging me to get another chapter out! I needed that, desperately!**_

_**ahanchan- **scratches head Uh, nope! Haven't seen that one before. Sorry. And yes, the witch is only going to get worse before she gets better. Thanks for the review, by the way. I really appreciate you taking time to leave me your opinions._

_**silversilence0** - I'm glad you think she's quite original. It's good to hear. I do hope you get some ideas for your own fic. Glad I could help! ;) Thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy._

_**Mizz Crazy** - Sorry to hear about your computer problems. That can be really annoying, I know. Anyhow, hope you enjoy, and I look forward to your comments. They always have a way of helping me out. Later. _

-

Duo's Dilemma

Chapter 10

Help Me Understand

-

Duo stifled a groan as the once Queen of the World stood shoulder to shoulder with Quatre Winner and argued their points about the would-be agreements for the third hour. Unfortunately for the young man, with Bella's absence, he had been assigned to guard duty right along with Heero and Wufei. His little talk with the absent woman the night before had him racking his sleep deprived brain for any logical reason that he could come up with for her sudden absence. Of course, he drew the line with the stray thought that some little green men from another planet had decided to blackmail her into giving them all the materials her company had mined from the resource satellites. His attention however, turned back to where Relena, Mr. Covington, and Quatre, along with two other representatives, were standing behind podiums and answering questions from the gaggle of idiots that was called the Senate.

"..brought to our attention that a number of Earth's Senators and Foreign dignitaries wish to alter the way things are being conducted in space, with special emphasis on the Harbor and Trade Agreements, as well as the frequency of mining on the natural resource satellites." said Relena calmly. "Is this true"

"Yes." said the man that Duo had been told was Manuel Sanchez. He was a slightly balding man in his mid-forties. His dark hair and eyes, along with surname, all pointed to a spanish background. And that assumption was quickly placed as fact when he spoke with the slight waive in his English. "We have asked more of the more well known companies to alter a few certain things in order to stabilize things amongst the home companies on Earth."

"An increase in the mining would cause a severe influx in the amount of raw materials present in the market." Quatre said, a frown on his face. "Prices would plummet, and companies such as mine would eventually be forced to lay off more workers."

"It isn't worth it." the man beside Quatre said angrily, the CEO of _Cloverleaf Industries_. "Even Ms. Saucier thinks so! And she's the one you've been hassling for the past few months."

"Ah, yes, the illustrious Ms. Saucier." drawled the politician with obvious disdain. "I see she is not present at today's meetings. How odd."

"She had an urgent business deal in space." Mr. Covington said teresly. "But she has passed on her sentiments through me that she will not be abiding by any of your requests, Senator Sanchez."

"Is that so" asked the man. "Do tell as to why she has disagreed with our requests, will you, Kenneth"

"The economy in space and the colonies have finally stabilized." Quatre said. "The work provided by companies like _SaucierCorp_., _Cloverleaf Ind_., and _Winner Development _has allowed the colonists to lead a relatively stable life. There is no point in jepordizing that simply because someone else wants to pad their pockets."

"Mr. Winner is correct." Senator Covington said, nodding. "If anyone starts messing with the output amounts coming from the resource satellites, we are going to be tampering with a system that is at a stable point. It is at an equilibrium, and shifting the balance is going to cause major problems that can ultimately be avoided by leaving it alone."

"I would suppose it is then safe to assume that _Saucier Corp_. is ruling against the govenment intervention into the colonies" the representative from Russia asked.

"That is a safe assumption, yes." Senator Covington said. "Belladonna is not going to risk the stability of her comapnay and the welfare of her employees because some people who have never been in space want to add a little to their bank accounts."

"And what is your...I mean, Ms. Saucier's...opinion on the Harbor Agreements" asked Manuel Sanchez, saying the woman's name with such disgust that his bias was apparent.

Duo tuned the rest of the arguement out and scanned over the surrounding sea of people. Heero had stationed him near the western exit of the conference hall, directly acroos from Wufei, and to the left of himself. His thoughts were just about to turn to Bella once again when Relena's angry voice caught his attention.

"If I do remember exactly, the last time the government tried to regulate and control anything in the colnies, a number of fights broke out in many of the space docks." she pointed out firmly. "An embargo was placed on many goods, and both sides suffered. Presently, things are fine, and it willl stay that way for a while. That is unless of course the lot of you want another major conflict to spring up. And need I remind you that we don't have mobile suits and Gundams to settle these ridiculous disputes anymore! If a war breaks out because of simple greed, it won't be soldiers on the front lines. It will be you."

The entire senatorial group simply stared at the woman, mouths agape and eyes slightly widened that she would bring up such a comparison. Duo just grinned and tipped his head in her direction, a slight vote of confidence in the woman who had managed to tame Heero Yuy and keep him in one place...without the use of a nail gun or cement shoes.

"That's one way to shut them up, Princess." he muttered as the men and women who had just been grilling Relena and the others called for a lunch break. As Quatre helped Relena down the steps and to Heero's side, Duo walked over and slapped the Arabian man on the back.

"Hey, Q-man" he said jovially. The blonde man, who was perhaps the youngest CEO in the space colonies, simply smiled slightly and nodded, returning Duo's customary energetic greetings with his more refrained one.

"It is good to see all of you." Quatre said as his own two bodyguards seemed to appear right behind him from the crowd. The first, a huge man with a dark beard and hardened face was Rashid, an ex-Magunac pilot that had fought against the White Fang alongside the Gundam pilots. The other was Trowa Barton, one of said Gundam pilots, and perhaps the most silent and deadly of them all.

"Quatre, how are you" Relena asked, giving the Arabian man a warm hug and welcoming smile. "It is finally good to see you."

"As is you, Miss Relena." Quatre answered, smiling happily. "Duo, Wufei, Heero, how have you all been"

"Fine." Duo said happily, patting the Arabian on the back. "How's it going Q-man? Trowa? What's up, Rashid"

"Duo." Trowa nodded in recognition.

"Mr. Maxwell." Rashid acknowledged, bowing slightly.

"Wonderful." Quatre said. "Things are going fine. Although I am afraid that we seemed to have angered the majority of the Senators in such a short time." He nodded towards where Manuel Sanchez and a number of other politicians were walking past them, angry scowls plastered on their faces, and mumbling incoherently to themselves.

"I sure hope their faces don't freeze like that." Duo commented. "It's enough to give a grown man nightmares for a month"

"Only you would make such an inane comment like that, Maxwell." Wufei said.

"Would you all like to go get some lunch" Quatre asked, loosening the tie at his neck a bit. "I had some questions I wanted to ask you."

"We have some questions as well, Quatre." Relena said, allowing herself to be shuffled out of the conference hall and into a waiting limo. Duo and Wufei followed them in a black SUV, while Heero climbed in with Relena and Quatre.

"What is going on with Ms. Saucier" Quatre asked as Rashid manuevered them through the downtown traffic and towards a small, out of the way cafe. "Why the sudden disappearance"

"That is the same thing I wanted to ask you." Relena said, a frown on her face. "I know she was supposed to speak today, but she just picked her things up and left yesterday after she got back from her office. I'm worried about her, Quatre. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this would you"

"It seems like whomever is doing this to her has some sort of close connection to her." Heero stated flatly. "I know the woman has enemies, most high ranking officials do. Is there anyone who particularly does not like her"

"She has no real enemies as far as I know." Quatre said sitting back. "I know her somewhat well, since we are constantly in contact with each other concerning our respective companies, but she has never mentioned any problems with anything lately. At least, nothing abnormal."

"We think it may be on a more personal note." Relena said, grateful for any information she could get on her friend. "I've known her for a while myself, ever since I went to St. Gabriel's. Even though this is the first I have seen her in quite some time, something does not strike me as fine with her."

"We found out about the wreck she had a few years back, and the people killed." Heero said. "One of them was Sanchez's daughter."

"Ah, yes, Maria." Quatre said, shaking his head sadly. "She and Belladonna apparently had it out about some man. I was not privy to all of the details, though."

"There was an un-named fatality in that accident." Heero said blandly. "Who was it" Quatre just took a deep breath and shook his head.

"I don't know." he said. "I never found out either. All I do know is that Maria and the gentlemen she was with were the only ones in their vehicle. And the same goes for Belladonna and her boyfriend. None of the other vehicles involved in the accident had fatalities, so I don't know who it was."

"What else can you tell us about her, then" Relena asked. "I know I shouldn't be prying, but was, and still is, a good friend."

"Other than the fact that she is a brilliant businesswoman, and hard-nosed about what she does, there isn't much more, I'm afraid." Quatre said. "She's very loyal and does a lot of work for the orphanages on the colonies though, so she's not as cold-hearted as many tabloids make her out to be."

"Orphanages" Relena asked.

"Yes. Especially the ones in her home colony cluster." Quatre pointed out. "Father Benelli's is one of her favorites. Many of the older teenagers who have come from that orphanage after graduating high school or college have went to work for her."

"Sounds like quite the little samaritan." Heero said, nonplussed.

"She's a good person at heart." the blonde man said. "She really is. But as for what could make her hop a plane to space, I don't know. I do know that I'm meeting her day after tomorrow to get some contracts signed, though."

"She's still working" Relena asked, somewhat surprised.

"She never stops." Quatre laughed. "She's going to work herself to death one of these days."

"She's always like this" Heero asked.

"She wasn't always. But after the accident a few years ago, she's immersed herself so far into her work that she'd need a hundred foot rope to pull herself out. I don't even think she's taken a vacation since then, in fact."

Relena just breathed in deeply and settled back into the comfort of the limo, still trying to piece together why Belladonna would just leave in such a rush. Her leaving had caused more problems that they had expected, causing things to take a turn for the worse. She glanced over at Heero, who still had a blank look on his face, but noticed the tightening around his eyes.

Relena knew he wanted to get her out of the city and back home to Europe. The only reason she had put up an arguement to stay was because of her friendship to Belladonna. But, seeing as how the woman was obviously trying to hide some of her demons, Relena had a feeling she could take care of herself should things get hairy. She decided right then an there to go back home the next time Heero brought it up. After all, when Heero was stressed, it just made them both more irratable.

-Later on that evening...-

That evening after dinner, Relena settled down into a comfortable chair in the library of the Covington plantation with a hot cup of cocoa and a stack of paperwork. Not far from her was Heero, standing in a shadowy corner, and Duo, who was playing a video game on the television console. Wufei had went to secure the outside perimeter and check with the number of Preventors who were still occupying the plantation grounds until the end of the Summit Meeting.

Mr. and Mrs. Covington had left to go see a movie a few hours ago, and would be back at any moment. And Margureite was currently in her own room, doing on heaven knew what. Relena had just settled into reading a contract of some sort when the vid-cam on the side wall rang. Heero, who was standing not far from it, answered it. After a few grunts that could have very likely been words of some sort, he turned to Relena.

"She wants to talk to you." he said evenly. Relena seemed slightly confused by the statement. But when Heero turned a pointed look to Duo, who was still sitting in a chair, engrossed with the video game, Relena smiled and got up to go to the vid-cam. She had pointed out the connection Duo had seemingly formed with the eldest of Covington's daughters earlier that day during lunch with Quatre, much to Heero's ever increasing annoyance. And now it seemed that anytime Bella came up in the conversation, Heero would send a glare in Duo's direction.

"Belladonna, how are you? Is everything okay? Where are you" Relena asked, literally pushing Heero out from in front of the vid-cam.

"I'm fine, Relena. Calm down before Yuy has you committed to the hospital for having a heart attack." Bella said, chuckling lightly. "Everything is fine, and I am currently in a hotel on L4's main colony cluster. What are you doing"

"Hey" Duo called, looking over his shoulder. "Who's on the phone"

"It's Bella." Relena said, smiling. Duo frowned and got up from his seat to go stand by Relena.

"I thought you said you weren't going to call the house" he pointed out.

"Well, I hadn't heard from Relena yet." she said, shrugging. "So I figured I would chance it. So, what are you doing"

"Playing a kick-ass video game." Duo grinned, slinging an arm around Relena playfully. "I didn't even know they had come out with **_BattleStar Armitage 3 _**yet."

"Just don't scratch it and we'll be okay." Bella said with a grin.

"Yes, ma'am." Duo said, saluting her and then turning to go to his game again. Belladonna just chuckled and shook her head.

"So, what are you doing, Relena? Margie drove you stark raving mad yet"

"Finishing up some proposals for tomorrow." she said. "I'm leaving in two days to go back."

"You're not staying till the end of the week"

"No. Lady Une thinks it is time for me to get back, and Heero agrees." she said. "So my hands are tied. I'm sure you've heard that the Senators passed your father's proposals today, much to everyone's surprise."

"They found a financial backer for the whole bunch" Bella asked, surprised.

"Quatre Winner." Relena said with a grin. "When we had lunch together, he told me he was going to take care of it until you decided to show your face again."

"Oh, thank heaven" Bella grinned. "I owe him big time."

"I am inclined to agree with you." Relena said. "He was supposed to stay neutral, but when _SaucierCorp. _was forced to pull the funding for the space colony development on L3, he picked up the slack."

"Oh, you don't know how much I love that little Arabian cutie right now." Bella said happily.

"Well, he's not to happy with you at the moment." Relena said. "When we told him you'd just up and left, he got worried. Then he got mad when we couldn't give him a reason as to why."

"Quatre Winner got mad" Bella asked skeptically. "I find that hard to believe." Relena just shrugged and shook her head.

"Well, as mad a Quatre can get." she amended.

"Don't worry about it, I'll see him day after tomorrow anyway." Bella said. "I'm meeting with him to sign some space mining contracts. I'll be sure and apologize profusely to him."

"See that you do. He's helping us all out right now." the blonde woman said. "Anyway, Duo said you wanted to talk to me about something. What is it"

"I just wanted to apologize for leaving in such a huff the other day." she said. "Things are getting sticky right now, and I don't need to be in the city. Then, I find out from Maxwell that you guys are digging up dirt on me from a couple years ago. What's up with that, Relena? If you didn't trust me, you just had to say so."

"It's not that." Relena said quickly, not wanting the other woman to get the wrong idea. "I was concerned, and your father wouldn't tell me anything."

"Yeah, the guy wouldn't tell us nothing." Duo grumbled as he walked back over to Relena and looked at the woman on the screen.

"Well, if you want to know, then I'll give you the basic overview." she said, sighing. "Are you alone"

"Heero is in the room, and Duo." Relena said. "But no one else, why"

"I don't need half the household hearing about this again." she said, biting her lip. She was obviously nervous about whatever she was going to tell them, but forged on ahead. "But you deserve an explantion. And if I can guess correctly, Yuy already knows what I'm about to tell you anyhow. Am I correct, Heero"

"Hn." the stoic man said. He'd recieved another call from Sally earlier that day. And she'd informed him of who the third fatality in that crash had been. After that, things had started to fall into place quite nicely.

"What about you, Duo" Belladonna asked, peering at the violet eyed man beside Relena.

"Not a clue." the braided Preventor huffed.

"What happened, Bella" Relena asked. "I hate thinking that there is a way for me to help you out of this."

"Okay, sit down, Relena." Belladonna said, settling back into her own chair. "A couple of years ago, I was dating a man that worked for the New Orleans Preventors, Joseph Gaylan. But, before he was with me, he was with Maria Sanchez. She was the only child of Manuel Sanchez, one of the Senators who was giving you and daddy such a hard time. Well, the day of the wreck, Maria and I had some words, and Joseph and I left. Maria had moved on to a new guy by then, Justin Bienville."

"Bienville" Relena asked, remembering the surname from before. "Is he..."

"He was Phillip's younger brother." she said with a grimace. "Anyhow, apparently Maria had convinced him that I had stole Joseph right out from under her nose...which was partly true. She was mad, and decided that if she couldn't have Joseph, then I wouldn't have him either. Justin, on the other hand, was attached to Maria at the hip, always had been. And he was willing to do whatever she wanted him to do. They followed us out of the city, and tried to run us off the road. The accident was Justin and Maria's fault. Both of them were drunk and in no shape to be driving. Unfortunately, Justin and Joseph were both killed. Maria was put into a coma and died a few months later."

"The paper clipping said that there were three fatalities that day during the crash." Relena said. "Who was the third"

"Christopher J. Gaylan." she said quietly.

"A family member of your boyfriend's" Relena asked, not quite making the correct connection Bella was trying to get at.

"Something like that." she said sadly, a sheen of tears forming in her eyes. "He was our son."

"He was your what" Relena asked, not quite sure she had heard correctly.

"Please tell me she didn't just say what I think she said." Duo groaned, slapping his forehead. There had been absolutely nothing in her file about her having a child, at least not that he remembered.

"My son." she repeated. "I was pregnant when we had the crash. The injuries it caused forced my body to abort the baby."

"I didn't know." Relena said. "I'm sorry. I didn't think we'd..."

"It's okay." Belladonna said, sighing. "I've had time to numb the pain a little."

"Your son..."

"Nice little shocker, isn't it" Bella asked. "Anyhow, whoever it is that trashed my office knows what happened, and I don't really want that story to be printed up in the tabloids, if you know what I mean. My dad has finally accepted it, and so has Joseph's family. I don't want it to be brought up front and center again. It would crush them all."

"Who all knew about it" Duo asked. "If you've kept it under wraps as well as you say, it had to be someone close to you who talked."

"My family knows. Dad, Rita, and Marge." she said. "Joseph's family knows, and I think Maria's father found out. That's it as far as I know."

"Would Joseph's family squeal" Relena asked. "Maybe they were the leak."

"No, they wouldn't do that." she said. "I know them well enough. Now, Sanchez on the other hand is more than likely the culprit. He blames me for Maria's death, and rightly so I suppose."

"Does he have access to your building, though" Relena asked. "Can he get in"

"No, he can't. As a matter of fact, he's been banned from the place for quite some time now." Belladonna said. "I don't know who it could be."

"Are you going to ask for an investigation" Relena asked.

"Possibly, when I get back." she said. "I'm not in any rush right now. When things calm down, I'll get on it. For now, all I can do is stay out of sight."

"Is there anything I can help you with" Relena asked. "You name it, and you've got it."

"There's nothing really." she said. "Just keep an eye on Margie for the next few days for me, if she does anything abnormal give me a call."

"You really think she's got something to do with this, don't you" Duo asked.

"It's just speculation. But I don't trust Margie any further than I can throw her." Belladonna said, a frown on her face.

About that time, Heero snapped to attention and looked out the window, where a set of headlights were coming up the driveway.

"We've got company." he said, nodding to Duo. The two men slipped out the library door silently to go inspect who it was.

"Who's there" Bella asked.

"Probably just your dad and step-mom." Relena said with a shrug. "They went to a movie earlier, and it's probably them right now." A few moments later, Duo came back into the room.

"It's just Mr. and Mrs. Covington." he stated, shrugging. "They want to see you, Relena. I told them I'd come and get you."

"Where's Heero" Relena asked.

"Talking to Covington." Duo said. Relena just nodded and turned back to the screen.

"Duty calls." she said with a shrug. "Are you sure you're going to be okay, Bella"

"I'll be fine." the young woman said. "Nothing I can't handle."

"It's what you can handle that I'm worried about." Relena said. "Take care of yourself, okay"

"Will do, your majesty." Bella said, mock bowing to the other woman. "Your wish is my command."

"You are entirely too lighthearted about this, you know" Relena said with a shake of her head.

"This coming from the woman who used to get death threats on a periodic base and still refused to keep her mouth shut." Bella countered sassily.

"She's got you there, Princess." Duo commented lazily as he walked over to the vid-cam. "You're nothing if not persistent."

"Thank you, both." Relena said, ignoring the jab. "That's enough out of the peanut gallery."

"I try." Belladonna called out as Relena walked out the room. The Vice-Foreign Minister made no sign of recognition of the last comment, and simply shut the door behind her.

"So, what's going on where you're at" Duo asked, looking at her carefully.

Truth be told, he was shocked to find out that she had lost a child not too long ago. But, in his mind, it justified the way she acted to some extent. He'd known people who, after the war, had immersed themselves into their work if only to escape the ever present fact that someone they loved had died and left them forever. He'd been one of those very people for some time...at least until his little stint with Hilde.

"Nothing at all, I'm afraid." Bella said, sighing. "Just keeping up with what is going on down there. You"

"Still trying to avoid your sister." he muttered absently.

"Margie giving you problems" she asked, although the glare Duo sent her would have answered her question had she not known the answer herself.

"She's annoying! And she won't take a hint" Duo fumed. "What do I have to do? Spell it out in big green letters? I don't want the girl anywhere near me."

"Red would work better, actually." Bella said primly. "Margie's color blind." Duo just groaned and pulled up a chair to sit in.

"Thanks for that little tidbit of info." he said sarcastically.

"Anytime."

"So, Quatre said you had to meet him..."

"Mr. Maxwell" came an annoyingly familiar voice from the door. Duo spun around right about the same time that Belladonna realized who it was and cut the visual connection to the vid-cam so she couldn't be seen. "Mr. Maxwell? Duo"

"I'm right here." Duo said, his teeth grating together in an effort not to puke at Margureite's syrupy voice. The woman in question only grinned and walked over to him before depositing a laptop computer case on a nearby table. "Did you need something, Ms. Covington"

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." she said, nodding towards the vid-cam's flashing red light that signaled it was in use.

"I was talking to someone." he said firmly.

"With no visual" Margureite asked, her eyebrows raised in suspicion. "That's odd."

"Well, I called at a bad time and she's not dressed at the moment." Duo said blandly. "Just got out of the shower, you know." Margureite only nodded and brushed the comment off before unzipping the case to pull out a state-of-the-art laptop computer.

"Well, then I won't take up your time." she said sweetly. Duo wanted to gag. "I wanted to know if you would have a look at my laptop."

"Something the matter with it" he asked, figuring the quickest way to get her away was to take the stupid piece of equipment from her.

"I lent it to a friend, a guy I'm going out with tonight, and I think he managed to download some sort of virus into it." she pouted. "He took it to a tech. specialist and they couldn't do anything with it. I was hoping maybe you could."

"I'll have a look at it." he said, slipping it back into the leather case. "But if a computer specialist couldn't do anything, then I doubt I will be able to."

"Well, I remember my sister saying that you had helped her with some computer problems on her laptop, and I figured I'd ask you." Margureite said. "If you don't mind of course."

"I'll look at it when I get some free time." Duo reassured her.

"Thanks." she said, nodding as she walked towards the door. "I really do appreciate it, Duo."

"Not a problem." he gritted out as she walked out the door and shut it behind her. "Any blasted time." Behind him, the vid-cam visual returned and Bella frowned.

"Still after you, huh" she asked comfortingly. "She is persistent."

"And dense." Duo muttered, plopping down into the chair and popping the latch to open the laptop. The screen flickered to life, and Duo waited for it to boot up. Outside, another set of headlights flooded the room, and Duo walked over to peek out.

"Who is it" Belladonna asked. "Daddy and Rita leaving again"

"No." Duo frowned. "Your sister is leaving with some guy."

"Who is it" Bella asked. "Who is stupid enough to take that little girl on a date"

"Actually, I think it was that guy you fired." Duo said. "Fleck something-or-other."

"Neil" Bella asked, seemingly stunned. "What's Fleck doing at that house, and with my snake of a sister"

"No clue." Duo muttered, waiting for the computer to finish booting up. "Don't tell me you are actually worried about who she's dating"

"No. I'm wondering how much havoc they can both wreck when together." she replied sarcastically.

"Apparently a good bit, especially if he was the one she lent this computer out to." Duo said, his eyes focused entirely on the screen in front of him, and a surprised look on his face. "I think we found out who's been trying to hack into your company system."

"Why do you say that" Bella asked. Duo just turned the laptop around and set it on the table where Bella could see it.

On the black screen, there were numerous little white boxes that kept flying around unti they finally spelled out three words.

_**TRY AGAIN SUCKER! NO ONE GETS PAST THE GREAT SHINIGAMI!**_

"Isn't that..."

"Yep." Duo said with a frown. "It's the virus I built into your computer networking defenses when I helped you get things going after you were attacked."

"That damn little bitch."

-

_A/N - I do hope everyone can forgive me for taking so long to update. This chapter seems kind of...scattered or broken...to me. I don't know. Things have been hectic, but it's getting better. Add to the fact that today is my birthday, and everything is all a little better! ;) _

_Please remember to review. They make wonderful birthday presents, and help me convince myself to continue writing. That and the fact that I really want to know what everyone is thinking. :)_

_Later._


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer** - It's not mine. Never was. The only character I own is Bella. She's all mine. So don't steal!_

_**A/N** - Special thanks to the following people for hanging in there and keeping me wanting to write: **Miss Crazy, Ryla, Ahanchan**, and **silversilence0**. I really am sorry for taking so long to update, but I'm getting back into the swing of things now. The updates should be a little more often from now on._

_-...-_

_**Duo's Dilemma**_

_**Chapter 11**_

_**Back on Home Turf**_

_-...-_

"Yuy, report to my office immediately. And bring Chang and Maxwell with you." came Lady Une's voice over the intercom. Heero just looked up from the paperwork he had been working on and glared at the little box, more than likely wishing he could shoot the thing into oblivion.

The Preventors and Vice Foreign Minister had returned to Europe just the day before, leaving the meetings in New Orleans before they had ever finished. Relena had been none too happy about it, but with both Heero and Une pressuring her to get back, she hadn't had that much of a choice.

"We're on our way." Heero answered, standing up and throwing on his jacket. Across the cluttered desk, Duo yawned and stretched his arms. He still hadn't quite gotten over the jet lag.

"What does she want now?" he asked his partner. "The reports from the trip aren't due until this evening." Heero said nothing, and Duo just ignored him as usual.

"Get Chang and meet me in her office." the stoic man said.

"Yes, sir." Duo saluted, walking out the office behind him. "We'll be there just as soon as I can get him away from Sally."

Fifteen minutes later, after Duo had pulled the justice bound, ex-Gundam pilot from the grips of his quite angry girlfriend, the two walked into the office of Preventor's coordinator, Anne Une.

"I'm glad you all decided to join me." she said, shuffling some papers on her desk and gesturing for them to sit down. The three men in front of her waited for their orders, not knowing what the woman wanted them to do now.

"Sorry it took so long, colonel." Duo said cheekily. "Wufei was…busy."

"Shut it, Maxwell." Wufei snapped.

"I'll get right to business, gentlemen." Une said. "It has come to my attention that the three of you have not used up any of your vacation time this year."

"So?" Heero asked.

"You're going to loose it at the end of next month if you don't use it up." Une said.

"I don't need a vacation." Heero said flatly.

"I bet Princess would disagree with that." Duo commented easily.

"Maxwell?" Heero asked.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." Duo just smiled and leaned back into his chair. Taking some vacation time didn't sound like such a bad idea to him. Hell, he'd barely taken a day off in the last eight months. And it wouldn't be too bad to get away from Heero for a little while. The quite man was a good guy, but he really needed to lighten up a bit more.

"I've arranged for you three to have the next four weeks off, if you wish it." Une said, handing them each a paper that explained how and when their vacation time had accumulated, along with how much of it they had already used. "Well?"

"Sounds good to me." Duo said. "I could use a vacation."

"Your life is a permanent vacation, Maxwell." Wufei said.

"Hey! I resent that!" Duo exclaimed, acting hurt.

"Do we have to take this time off?" Heero asked, leveling his unblinking gaze at Une.

"It's not mandatory, Heero." she said. "But I do suggest you take some time off. You've been overworking yourself lately, all of you have. And I don't need my three best officers working themselves to death."

"Yeah, just think how happy Princess will be when you tell her you're going to be off for a while." Duo said happily. "I remember her telling you that you needed to lay off work for a while." Heero leveled a glare at his partner, but after all the time Duo had been around the Wing Zero pilot, Duo had become immune to it.

"So gentlemen, what are your answers?" Une asked.

"I game." Duo said happily. "I mean, no offense there Heero, but….."

"Don't even start cracking jokes, Maxwell." Heero said. Duo promptly shut up, and Heero turned back towards Une with a curt nod. "Fine. I'll take the time off."

"Wufei?"

"Fine by me." he answered.

"Excellent." Une said. "You are free to go after you finish the reports on the Summit meetings and hand them in to me."

"Anything else?" Wufei asked.

"No." Une said, waving her hand as she pulled out another lot of paperwork. "You're dismissed."

The three young men stood, saluted, and walked out the door of Une's office and past her secretary. The entered into the elevator, and Duo pressed the button for them to go to the thirteenth floor.

"So, what are you guys gonna do with your time off?" Duo asked.

"Nothing to concern yourself with, Maxwell." Wufei said, exiting out the door.

"You'd think he'd removed that stick up his ass when he started dating Sally." Duo commented easily, watching his friend as he maneuvered his way back to the office he shared with Sally.

"Hn." Heero answered.

"Vocal as ever, I see." Duo muttered, following behind his own partner as they entered into their own shared office. Heero picked up the small pile of papers on his side and tapped them into place, then placed them in a folder. "Where you going now?"

"Turning the report in, and leaving." Heero said simply.

"You're already finished with that thing?" Duo questioned. Truth be told, he hadn't even started on the blasted report yet. "Already?"

"Yep."

"Okay." Duo said, pulling himself up straight in his desk. "You leaving after you turn it in?"

"Yep."

"Is that the only word in your vocabulary today?"

"No."

"Didn't think so." Duo muttered. "Well, have a good vacation. Tell Princess I said hello." Heero just grunted and walked out of the office, folder of papers in hand. Duo rolled his eyes and got to work on his own report from the trip to the States. If he wanted to get out of that building anytime soon, he'd better get to work.

Fortunately, he didn't have any disruptions until five minutes after he was finished. The vid-cam on his desk beeped, and he absently hit the button to accept the call.

"Duo Maxwell, here." he said, tapping the papers into a neat stack.

"Duo, it's Quatre." the voice said. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Duo looked up at the screen and saw the blonde pilot, tie undone, and a stack of papers on each side of him. Apparently Quatre was still at the office himself.

"Hey, Q-man! What's up? How ya' been?" Duo asked, a grin on his face.

"I'm fine, Duo." he said with a sigh. "But I need to ask you a favor."

"I'm all ears."

"I need to know if you have Belladonna Saucier's phone number." Quatre said.

"Bella?" Duo asked. "Yeah, I got it. Hold on a second." Duo fished his cell phone out of his pocket and after a few taps of the keys, found Bella's number when she had called him over a week ago. He gave the numbers to Quatre, who just smiled in relief.

"Thanks." he said. "I just met with her yesterday, but I forgot to get her to sign one of the legal documents. I tried calling her at her office number, but the vice-president said that she wouldn't be back for a few more weeks."

"Yeah, she was supposed to meet up with you, wasn't she?" Duo said. "Everything go okay?"

"Fine." Quatre said. "She knows her stuff as well, which is a relief, let me tell you. Half the CEO's I deal with don't even know what's going on with their own companies. It's really nice to work with someone who keeps on top of things. She's a wonderful person."

"Tell me about it." Duo muttered. He had been thinking about the woman since he'd gotten back to Preventor Headquarters the day before. The little bit of time he'd spent with her during the trip to the States had been a breath of fresh air for him. A welcome reprieve from the overshadowing of depression caused by Hilde. Now, he was a little perturbed knowing he was more than likely not going to get to see her again. "She's a nice lady."

"She seems to have taken an interest in you, believe it or not." Quatre said with a grin.

"Say what!" Duo asked, not sure he had heard the blonde man right.

"Yeah, she was telling me all about how you two wound up having a food fight in the kitchen while she was at her father's house." Quatre said absently. "Told me it was the most fun she'd had in a long time."

"Really?" Duo asked. "Do tell." The braided man leaned back in his chair, eager to know what Bella had told Quatre about him.

"Yes. She was especially impressed with how you fixed the computer network at her company building." Quatre said. "What happened? She wouldn't tell me any details."

"Someone hacked in and deleted some of her paperwork and stuff." Duo said, shrugging. "I fixed it, and set up some extra security measures."

"You planted another virus, didn't you?" Quatre clarified, knowing how Duo liked to leave little bugs for any would-be hackers. It was one of the man's specialties, and Quatre often wondered where he came up with the ideas for the things he created.

"It wasn't anything too bad, Q-man." Duo said reassuringly, although the grin on his face belied his seriousness.

"Well, whatever you did, she was impressed." he said, taking a group of papers from a nearby stack and sorting them as he talked to Duo. "And trust me, she's a hard one to surprise. I've known her since she started **_Saucier Corp_**., and let me tell you, I've never seen her in such a good mood."

"Well, I'm glad I could be of some entertainment." Duo said, grinning even brighter. So, he'd impressed the pretty CEO. Well, that definitely gave his self-esteem a boost, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

"Yes, well, I do hope that she is able to get back to work soon." Quatre said absently. "She was headed for her home, somewhere on the main colony of the L2 cluster, the last time I spoke with her. She didn't seem to happy about it though. Whatever it is that is causing her problems is getting worse, at least from what I could tell."

"Yeah." Duo said. "Well, I'm kinda busy Q-man, not that I don't like talkin' with you, but I've got a report to go turn in to Une."

"Oh, I'm sorry to keep you from your work, Duo." Quatre said sincerely. "Thank you for the number. Bye."

"Anytime, Q-man." Duo said heartily. "Anytime. Later." The connection was severed, and Duo laid the report on the side of his desk, away from the rest of the clutter.

_'So, I've impressed her, and she's heading to L2?'_ he thought, picking up a pencil and tapping it on the desktop. _'This could prove interesting. Wonder if I can track down where she lives? See if she wants some company…'_ He was seriously considering hopping a shuttle to L2 and seeing if he could track her down. It's not like he had anything else to do for the next four weeks.

And besides, he'd been needing to get back to the colony. He hadn't been to visit the graves of Sister Helen and Father Maxwell since his last visit to the main colony, and that had been over nine months ago. That was also the last time he'd stopped in and checked on things in the small apartment he kept near the main city in the colony. He'd used the cramped place the times he'd been assigned to cases in the area. It beat hotels any day of the week.

He flipped on his computer and headed straight for the database of residents that Preventors kept for each colony, his mind made up to go see if he could find where she lived on the main colony.

_'Hey, if I've got to take some time off, I might as well have some fun if I can.'_ he thought, scanning through the listings on his screen. _'And she's about the best option at the moment. Besides, I need to go back home for a while. Earth isn't bad, but it's not my home.'_

_-...-_

When Quatre severed the vid-cam connection with Duo, he immediately switched over to the line he had on hold. The patient face of Relena Peacecraft met his slight frown.

"Alright, I told him." Quatre said with a frown. "He's probably booking tickets to L2 as we speak."

"Wonderful." Relena said, smiling. "It'll do him some good to get away from Headquarters for a while."

"I hate deceiving him like that, though." Quatre said. "I just don't like it."

"Quatre, please understand." Relena said begged. "You said yourself that all Bella talked about at the meeting was Duo and his crazy antics. She was happy."

"I have to agree with you on that." he said.

"They compliment each other." Relena said, smiling happily. "After what he's been through with Hilde, he needs someone like Bella. It will help, I promise."

"It just seems underhanded, baiting him with information like that." Quatre said, shaking his head.

"He wasn't going to find out any other way, and you know it." Relena said firmly. "She wasn't going to tell him, not in a million years."

"I hope you're right, Ms. Relena." Quatre said.

"Of course I am." she said firmly. Quatre heard a door open and shut in the background, and saw when the grin on Relena's face turned into a sunny smile. That only meant one thing. "I've got to go, Quatre, but trust me on this."

"I will, Ms. Relena." Quatre said reluctantly. "And tell Heero I said hello."

"I will. Bye."

"Goodbye." Quatre settled back into his chair and sighed. _'Allah help us all if this does not work out.'_ he thought. _'And if it does, I beg you give us strength to endure the terror that Duo Maxwell and Belladonna Saucier will unleash on us all!'_

_-...-_

Belladonna fumbled with the keys to her apartment and tried to balance out the two grocery bags full of food in her arms. She'd been on L2 for a couple days now, and it had become readily apparent that she had needed to go to the grocery store not long after she'd arrived. She had not been in the apartment for a while, and it had taken her most of the day just to air it out and get the dust off of everything. She finally managed to get the key into the lock and the door opened without dropping anything. She kicked her shoes off at the door, and headed straight for the kitchen.

Things had calmed down since she'd been in space, at least according to her vice-president and tech specialist that she had left in charge of the company in her absence. They had emailed her daily with what was going on at the building, even going so far as to keep her up to date with the gossip circulating around the building as to why she was gone.

When she had asked how the investigation about who had broken into the building was going, neither of her employees had been able to tell her much. The police still had not been able to find any leads as to who had done it, let alone find any suspects.

Of course, the little tidbit of information that she had gotten from Duo about the virus on her dear sister's computer had set her off on a rage. She'd called the Preventors in New Orleans and told Preventor Asher what had happened, and how the virus had wound up on her sister's computer. He said he'd do what he could, but without the laptop as evidence, there was not much he could do. He did promise to have someone keep an eye on Marguerite, though. So not all was lost. It was all very nerve racking for her, but there was really nothing else she could do about it.

She'd had her suspicions that Marguerite was trying to sabotage her at every turn for a while, but it had really come full force since Relena's visit to the States and the Summit meetings. In fact, she'd just talked to her father a few hours ago, and he'd told her that Marguerite had been moody ever since Relena had left a few days before.

She set the two bags of groceries down on the countertop, turned on the radio, and began to unload the bags, placing things where they went.

She had no doubts that Margie was more than upset about loosing her chance to jump Duo, as opposed to Relena leaving. Of course, she was still more than worried about Margie running around with Neil Fleck, her old security specialist. Bella's suspicions had been raised when she had last called and talked to Relena, and Duo had told her that Margie was leaving with Fleck. She'd given Preventor Asher her suspicions, and he'd found them surprisingly valid. Of course, they were only suspicions, he'd told her. There was not any kind of action they could take unless their was some solid proof.

Of course, she had forgotten to mention the threats she'd gotten while still on Earth. There had been one waiting for her at the shuttle port, one at the hotel she'd stayed at on L4, and even one delivered to her during her dinner with Quatre Winner. Each and every one of them had warned her to stay away from Earth, and away from the Preventors. Of course, after the dinner with Quatre, when she'd signed the expansion papers to integrate part of Winner's company with her own, the notes had stopped.

Now, she usually didn't scare easily, but Bella was starting to worry about this nut. Whoever was sending her the notes apparently knew more about her than she was willing to admit to. And that only fueled her suspicion that her half sister had something to do with it. Of course, the paranoia was beginning to take it's toll on her. She'd had the feeling all day that she was being followed, but anytime she'd turn around to see, there was no one behind her.

"You know, this building has a pathetic security system." came an amused voice from the doorway. Bella, who had her head in the refrigerator, trying to sort through the food she'd just bought, stood up quickly, slamming her head into the top of it. She vaguely registered the sound of breaking glass as she cursed and spun around, only to find the very man she'd just been thinking about leaning against her doorframe, as if conjured up by her own overactive imagination. He had a huge grin on his face, and Bella had to hold back the tears of pain that were coursing through the back of her head.

"Damn you to hell, Maxwell!" she yelled, her hand on the back of her head where she had hit the fridge. "What are you doing here? And more importantly, why did you feel the need to scare the living shit out of me!"

"Comic relief?" he asked, shrugging, the grin still on his face. Bella rolled her eyes, willing her heartbeat to go back to normal as she sat down on the kitchen chair to steady herself.

"Damn, that hurts." she whined, pulling her hand from her head to find a small splattering of blood on her hands. "Wonderful, I'm bleeding. Thanks, Maxwell."

Duo grimaced and walked over to where she was sitting. He hadn't meant to make her hurt herself. He just wanted to surprise her, not scare her to the point where she injured herself.

"You okay?" he asked, walking behind her and pulling her hair aside to see a cut on her scalp. He picked a few pieces of glass out of her hair carefully and threw them in the trash bin beside him.

"Just peachy." she said sarcastically. "I usually make it a habit to ram my head into my refrigerator when I'm putting up groceries. Helps improve the circulation to my already over-wrought brain."

"Sorry about that." he said. "I didn't mean to make you hurt yourself."

"What'd I cut myself on?" she asked, looking over at the still opened refrigerator door. Duo handed her a paper towel to clean up the blood and walked over to the door, peering in it.

Little shivers of glass were lying on the floor in front of it, and there was no light to illuminate what she had just put in there.

"Your head hit the light bulb and shattered it." he said.

"Wonderful." she said, rolling her eyes. "Light bulbs. The one thing I didn't get while I was at the store." Duo just grinned and shook his head.

"You didn't hurt yourself to bad. The cut is small. It should have stopped bleeding by now." he said, walking back behind her again. "Let me see."

"You never did answer my question." Bella said, tilting her head down so he could see the damage he'd caused. "What are you doing here? I figured you'd be back at Preventor's Headquarters by now, with Yuy barking orders at you."

"Vacation time." Duo said, simply. "I figured I'd head back to my home colony for a while since I was off of work." He took a seat across the table from Bella and leaned back. "Figured I'd stop by and harass you for a while."

"How long do you have off?" she asked, dropping the spotted paper towel in the trash bin. "Two weeks?"

"Four." he said.

"Your staying here the whole time?" she asked, standing up and moving back to the counter to finish unloading her grocery bags.

"Probably."

"Do you have family around here?" she asked.

"Something like that." he answered quietly, thinking of Father Maxwell's and Sister Helen's gravesites. "Here, let me give you a hand."

"Yeah, it's the least you could do, considering I've probably suffered a concussion thanks to you." she teased, handing him a gallon of milk. He grinned and put it in the fridge. "So, what are you planning on doing for the rest of the day?"

"No plans." he said. "I just got here earlier this morning." Bella frowned and looked at the clock hanging on the wall nearby.

"It's barely noon." she said. "How long have you been here?"

"An hour or so." he said, grinning. "Long enough to raid your stash of video games."

"Find anything you like?" she asked. "Most of those are prototype games that friend of mine creates. I don't think some of them have even been released to the public yet."

"They're great!" he said. "Especially **_Donark's Rebellion_**! Killer graphics!"

"Blowing up Martians." she said with a sigh. "That sounds right up your alley."

"I like blowing things up." Duo grinned. "Nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"I suppose not." she said. "I was going to make some lunch before I got started on some work. You hungry?"

"Yeah, sure." he said. Truth be told, he hadn't eaten anything since he'd left Earth the night before, and his stomach was starting to complain quite loudly. "What kind of work you got to do?"

"Just some reports to look over." she said, pulling out a large pot and pouring some rice into it, then filling it with water and sitting it on the stove.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be working." he said. "Vacation, remember?"

"It's nothing big." she said defensively. "Corey and Daniel have been keeping me up to date on what's going on at the office. And Daniel sent me a few reports that he doesn't know what to do with. It won't take me long."

"Any plans for the rest of the day?" he asked.

"I was just going to laze around here for the day, to be perfectly honest." she said, shrugging. "I've got a few things I need to go do tomorrow, but that's about it."

"Nothing to do, huh?" Duo smiled. "Now aren't you glad I decided to drop in? Word has it that I'm a really entertaining guy to be around."

"And who told you that?" she teased, cocking an eyebrow and obviously trying to keep herself from laughing. "I do believe you've been misinformed."

"Nah, my source is reliable." he grinned. "And besides, we could always start another food fight if things get too boring."

"Not in my apartment!" she said firmly. "I just got this place cleaned up."

"Ahhh, come on…please?" he whined.

"Absolutely not."

"Pretty, pretty, pretty please?" he begged.

"No."

"I'll do it anyways." he threatened, grabbing a spray can of whipped cream and aiming it at her, wanting to see if she'd rise to the bait.

"I'll lock my video games up." she countered, her hands on her hips.

"I'll pick the lock."

"I'll kick you out."

"I'll get back in."

"I'll set the security guards on you."

"They'll let me back in. I'm a Preventor."

"I'll tell them you're a fake."

"You do realize you're not going to win this argument, right?" Duo finally asked, knowing she was scraping the bottom of the barrel of threats. Bella just hissed at him and rolled her eyes.

"You're infuriating sometimes." she said.

"I know. Heero tells me that all the time." he said, hopping up onto the counter next to the stove. "So does Lady Une, now that I think about it."

"Maybe that's why she gave you the vacation time." Bella said, stirring the rice.

"I doubt it." he said. "I think Princess had something to do with it."

"Why do you say that?" Bella asked, pulling a pack of chicken from the refrigerator and placing it in the sink.

"Just a hunch." he shrugged. "Heero hasn't taken any time off lately, and I know for a fact that she's got a slow month coming up. Not as many meetings and junk. So, she wants to spend it with him."

"Makes sense, I guess." Bella shrugged.

"Need some help?" Duo asked.

"Are you going to start a food fight in my kitchen?" she asked pointedly.

"Honestly, probably so." he said, grinning. "But what you gonna do about it? We've already figured out that kicking me out of here won't do any good." Bella just laughed and shook her head, then nodded towards the cabinet door to her left.

"Well, if you think you can refrain from making it into some sort of warped projectile," she said. "I think there is some brownie mix up there you can get to work on."

"Hey, hey!" he said goofily. "Sweet stuff. I like!"

"I thought you would." she said, grinning.

They wound up spending the rest of the evening bickering over food and video games, and having an all around good time. Duo was surprised to find that the pretty little lady at his side was quite good at blowing things to smithereens in her own right, at least as far as video games were concerned. And he seemed to surprise her with his little bit of talent to make edible brownies.

Only problem was, the brownies were a little burned on the bottom because the two of them were preoccupied arguing over what movie to watch, and forgot that they were in the oven.

"It's getting late." Duo yawned as the latest movie they were watching ended. Bella, who had been camped out on the couch beside him, mumbled something incoherent. He looked over, grinning stupidly when he saw that she had fallen asleep at some point. He got up and stretched, then cut the television off. He leaned over and shook Bella gently. "Time to wake up, sleeping beauty."

"Hmmm…" she mumbled. "Go 'way. I'm sleepin'"

"No kidding." Duo chuckled. Fortunately for him, his voice seemed to rouse Bella up from her light slumber. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times.

"The movie's over already?" she asked, yawning. "What time is it?"

"About three in the morning." Duo said. She groaned and fell back onto the couch. "You okay?"

"Yeah." she said, getting up slowly. "I'm going back to bed, though. Are you heading out, or do you want to camp out on the couch here?"

Duo weighed his options quickly. His place was a good thirty minute walk from there, and it was about to start raining outside. Besides, he could always head home in the morning, after a couple of hours sleep."

"I'll stay here, if you don't mind." he said. "My place is a ways from here."

"Not a problem." she said. "The couch folds out into a bed, but it's comfortable either way. Give me a minute and I'll get you a blanket." She walked away, and came back a few minutes later with a coverlet. Duo took it and piled the pillows up at one end of the couch.

"Thanks for letting me crash here." he said, yawning.

"Any time." she answered, smiling slightly. "If you need anything, just come wake me up. My bedroom's right down the hallway."

Duo nodded as she shut the lights off. A moments later, he heard the mattress in her room squeak slightly as she climbed into bed. He just grinned and pulled the cover up over his head, ready to get a couple hours sleep.

He had planned on going to the Sister Helen's and Father Maxwell's graves later that day, and he needed some sleep to get through something like that. After his visit though, he wasn't sure what he could do. He'd seen a sign on his way to Bella's apartment advertising a circus in town for the week.

_'Wonder if she'd like to go.'_ he thought sleepily. _'Ought to be fun at least.'_ It wasn't much longer after that, he drifted into dream land, more content than he had been in a very long while.

...-

**A/N** - Things are looking up for our lovable pilot, aren't they? Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and I am profusely sorry for taking so long, but I can assure you that it won't happen again.

Lots of love to you all, and please remember to review. Even if it is to chew me out for taking so long. I deserve to be reprimanded.

Later,

A.A.


	12. Chapter 12

****

Disclaimer - It's not mine. It never was. The only character I can lay claim to is Bella. She's all mine, so don't steal!

A/N - Special thanks to the following for reviewing:

Mizz Crazy: Thanks for the review, and I appreciate your comments. They always make me feel better!

Silversilence0 - They will get together. Just give it time. Although this chapter should give you enough fluff at the end. I hope so anyway.

…-

It's not mine. It never was. The only character I can lay claim to is Bella. She's all mine, so don't steal!Special thanks to the following for reviewing:Thanks for the review, and I appreciate your comments. They always make me feel better! - They will get together. Just give it time. Although this chapter should give you enough fluff at the end. I hope so anyway. 

_Duo's Dilemma_

_Chapter 12_

_Moving Right Along…_

_…-_

The graveyard was the first place Duo headed once he had taken a shower and gotten dressed at his place that next morning after leaving Belladonna's apartment. He tugged at the button-up shirt he had put on, wishing it was a little cooler than the eighty-five degree weather he was currently standing outside in.

In front of him were two well-kept graves. The first was Sister Helen's, one of the nuns that had taken care of him after he'd been adopted into Maxwell orphanage. She was the one who had believed the most in him. Believed that he was a good person, despite what he had been forced to do to survive on his own. She was the one who had braided his hair back into his customary hair style when he had fought her tooth and nail to keep it from getting cut.

And the other one belonged to Father Maxwell, the priest who had welcomed him with open arms into their rag-tag family, and taught him that God loved all people, despite their pasts. The elderly man had caught Duo many times at night, trying to pilfer the left over sweets from the kitchen, and would usually let him get away with it, even though Duo had known the Father had seen him lurking in the shadows.

"Well, I'm back." he said quietly, stooping down to swipe a few stray blades of grass from the cold cement coverings. "I know, I know. I haven't been by as much as I should. But I've been busy, what with trying to keep the peace and all. It ain't an easy job, that for darned sure."

He stood up and looked around the expansive graveyard, seeing the many different monuments and statues that decorated the grounds. His heart clutched within his chest, and he wished that he could see the smiling face of Sister Helen once again as she chased after him, or the secret smile that Father Maxwell would give him when he had done something to be rewarded for. They were the closest things to parents that he had, and he missed them dearly, even after all the time that had passed.

"I'm on a month vacation, and I figured I'd come see you two since I haven't been by since the last time I was posted here on L2." he said quietly. "I just wanted to let you know that I still remember ya'." He placed the two bouquets of flowers he'd been holding on the cement, one in front of each tombstone, and knelt down between them. He caught the flash of something metallic off to the side, and picked up a small aluminum cross he'd put on Sister Helen's grave the last time he'd been there.

He looked at the neat writing engraved on the piece of metal and frowned. He'd had Hilde use the engraving pen to write in a bible verse when he'd found the crosses at a small bazaar, mostly because her handwriting had been much better than his own. He gripped the small metal piece and closed his eyes as a small breeze passed by, ruffling his hair and the surrounding grass.

"Hilde and I aren't together anymore." he said quietly. "She decided that I wasn't what she wanted, so she got someone else. It's not all that bad, though. My friends are keeping' me occupied. Although I'm pretty sure that I'm gonna run into her sometime soon. Bella's apartment is right next to the scrap yard Hilde runs, so it's bound to happen sooner or later." He got up and dusted off his pant's legs. "Of course, you two could run interference for me, and keep her a couple of miles away." he said hopefully. " Cause if those two ladies tangle, I'm not too sure there will be much of a colony left when they get done." He heard a chuckle behind him, and turned to see who had come up to the gravesites. It was a young woman, more than likely no older than himself, dressed in the black and white clothing of a Catholic nun.

"I'm so sorry." she said, nodding in welcome. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's okay, ma'am." Duo said, a friendly smile on his face. "You're not interrupting." She smiled gently and walked up to the gravesites.

"You knew Sister Helen and Father Maxwell?" she asked, seemingly surprised.

"Yeah. They adopted me when Maxwell Church was over there." he said, pointing towards where a large cross stood as a memorial to the church. "But they died in the fire."

"I was to believe that all the children were killed as well." she said, crossing herself and then looking back to Duo.

"I got out." Duo said, not really wanting to explain that he was stealing a mobile suit when the orphanage went up in flames, trapping all the occupants of the church inside. "I was the only one, though."

"Well, it is good to see that you keep them in your memory." she said softly. "Too many times we forget those who helped us in our darkest hours of need."

"I couldn't forget them if I tried." he said. "They were my parents."

"I understand, child." she said, laying a hand on his shoulder and squeezing it gently. "I really must apologize for my intrusion. But it has been a long time since the members of our church have seen anyone this far back in the graveyard. I was simply curious, and I do hope you forgive me."

"Nothing to forgive." Duo said, turning to walk back to where the new church stood. "So, when did they expand the church? It wasn't this big the last time I was here." He looked up at the massive steeples and stained glass windows, remembering some of the depictions from his own childhood.

"The additions are recent." the Sister said. "Father Benelli believed we needed more room for the children, so an addition was made onto the existing building."

"There's that many war orphans on the colony?" Duo asked. He'd heard that the number of war orphans was slowly diminishing as time went on. But apparently, it was not true.

"There's no so many war orphans as there was when I first came here." she said. "But we seem to be getting more and more each day. It is sad indeed."

"Yes, it is." Duo said, looking up through a window he was passing and into what was apparently the living quarters of the orphanage. He heard a woman's laugh and stopped dead in his tracks when a familiar head of wavy brown hair dashed by.

"Is something the matter, sir?" the nun asked, perplexed as to why he had stopped, and was staring into the window. "Sir?"  
"Who is that?" Duo asked, nodding towards the window, where he could see Belladonna chasing a little three year old boy around the room. The nun looked in, and smiled.

"That is Ms. Saucier." she said. "She is one of the main contributors to the church and orphanage. In fact, she is the one who paid for the new addition to be put on. She is a wonderful lady. Very nice, and great with children, especially the younger ones, and they absolutely adore her."

"Really?"

"I truly believe that woman is a God-send." the lady said. "She's always there when you need her, and even when you don't."

"And that man behind her, in the doorway?" Duo asked, nodding towards a tall man with short gray hair who was dressed in the normal clothing of a Catholic priest.

"Why, that is Father Benelli." she said. "Would you like me to introduce you to them?"

"No, no that's alright." Duo said quickly.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "It wouldn't be a problem in the least."

"No, thank you." Duo said. "I've got to be going. It was nice meeting you, Sister."

"You as well, sir." she said, waving him off as he made for the gate that surrounded the property. "Come back anytime you wish!" Duo just nodded and left the grounds, wondering why in the world Bella would be at Father Benelli's orphanage.

…-

Bella adjusted her skirt and walked into the café, scanning the crowd for Duo. They had agreed to go out to eat for dinner than night when he'd left her apartment that morning. She had agreed to the date, not really sure as to why she did. But her conscious kept telling her it was because she was becoming a little more attached to the long-haired Preventor than she'd originally meant to.

After she'd made her way to the orphanage, and wound up spending most of the day there, she'd extricated herself from the children with a distinct promise to return the next day, with a whole bunch of goodies in hand. She had been happy to see the kids again, and she hadn't really wanted to leave. But the promise of seeing Duo again had finally got her away.

Now, she was searching the numerous people in the small building for Duo.

"Lookin' for someone, babe?" came an amused voice. Bella turned around and found a smiling Duo leaning against the wall.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am." she said, linking her arm through his when he presented it to her with a flourish. "Maybe you can help me?"

"Is he…oh…about this tall?" Duo asked, using his hand to measure his height from the floor.

"Yes, he sure is."

"And has a really long braid? Like this?" Duo asked, pulling the end of his braid over his shoulder.

"Yep."

"And he has a few screws loose in that metal head of his?" came an annoyingly high voice. Duo and Bella turned around, only to see a woman with short black hair and dark blue eyes standing next to a dark skinned man with dreadlocks in his long hair.

"You?" Duo asked, tamping down his temper and reigning in the impulse to knock the heck out of the smirking guy at her side.

"Duo." Hilde said, her saccharine smile making his stomach want to vomit. "What a surprise, seeing you here. I thought you were still on Earth."

"Vacation time." the ex-pilot said stoically. Beside him, Belladonna stood up, looking carefully at the situation before them.

"Duo, is this a friend of yours?" she asked, taking his arm.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, eyeing Bella. "Really Duo, you're not going to introduce me to your flavor of the week?"

"Shouldn't you do the same, honey?" Bella asked, nodding towards the man at Hilde's side. "And I'm Belladonna, by the way. Who are you?"

"Bella, this is Hilde and Kennan." Duo said, praying to all the saints he knew that this did not get ugly in the middle of a public place. Hilde looked ready to kill Bella, and Bella looked like she was willing to take on the German girl and her newest sidekick.

"Oh, yes, you told me about her." Bella said, smiling. "A pleasure to meet you, miss. I've heard many things about you."

"You what?" Hilde asked, her hands on her hips, and her eyebrow cocked up.

"Oh, yes." Bella gushed, giving Duo a conspiratorial wink as she took the overly confused Hilde's arm and led her over to a seat. "Duo told me that you run the scrap yard down the street, correct?"

"Yeah, I do." she said. "And your point is?"

"Oh, my company works in space mining and colony development." Bella said. "And we're in need of a reliable company to help clean up some of our mining sites."

"What did you say your name was again?" Hilde asked, her fight with Duo temporarily forgotten.

"Belladonna." the other woman answered. "Belladonna Saucier."

"As in the C.E.O of _Saucier Corp_.?" Kennan asked. Bella only smiled and nodded, and Duo swore he could see dollar signs flashing in the dark man's eyes.

"The one and only." she said. "So, what do you say, Miss….?" She looked over at Duo, obviously expecting him to supply the name she was looking for.

"Schbeiker." Duo said glumly. "Hilde Schbeiker."

"Schbeiker?" Bella asked, looking at the girl carefully as though she'd misunderstood Duo. "You're Hilde Schbeiker."

"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" Hilde asked, utterly confused.

"You were the girl cheating on her boyfriend. Weren't you?" Bella asked.

"I, uh….." Hilde struggled for an answer to that, and had the vacant feeling that her newest contract with the business woman was slowly sinking down the drain like last weeks garbage.

"Well, I'm afraid I am not willing to do business with a person who lies to their own brother." Bella said imperiously.

"Brother!" Kennan exclaimed, causing many people in the café to turn their way. "That braided freak is not Hilde's brother!"

"Now why would Duo lie to me about that?" Bella asked, taking Duo's arm and leading him out the door. "Besides, even if he wasn't, you wouldn't make me believe that he dated someone like…..her."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Hilde asked angrily, fuming at the other woman. "What's wrong with me?"

"Don't get her started." Duo pleaded to the gods above.

"Nothing at all." Bella said with a grin. "Other than the fact that you absolutely prove one of my most contemplated theories."

"And what would that be?" Hilde growled.

"That it is because light travels faster than sound that some people look absolutely intelligent…until they speak." Bella said, smirking. "Bye-bye now."

Hilde just looked utterly confused, not sure of what to say or do. Bella led a shocked Duo out of the café, and they were a quarter mile down the street when Duo finally got his thoughts together enough to speak.

"How did you do that?" he asked, looking at her carefully.

"Do what?" Bella asked.

"That!" he said, pointing back towards the café they had exited. "Turn Hilde from a woman looking for blood into a confused idiot within a period of five minutes!"

"Oh, that." Bella said, leading him into a grocery store. She figured if they couldn't go out and eat, the least she could do was fix them something for dinner. "It's called the _Snatch, Grab, _and _Get _tactic."

"Explain." Duo muttered, absently grabbing a grocery basket as they walked along.

"It's simple, really. I learned it when I had to learn to deal with stuffy, overbearing politicians." Bella said. "First, you grab their attention by throwing them off balance."

"You were nice to her instead of blowing up when she questioned who you were." Duo clarified.

"Precisely." Bella said. "Then, you grab their attention by mentioning the one thing most humans have a weakness for."

"Which is?"

"Money." Bella said, grinning, and placing some vegetables into the cart. "It always works."

"And where does the _'Get'_ part come in." Duo asked.

"You insult them in a way they don't understand, and then get the hell out of dodge before they figure it out." she clarified. "So, what do you want for dinner?"

"Impossible…." Duo said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Not impossible." Bella said happily, winking at him. "Just improbable. Only really thick headed people don't get it right off, and spend the next few hours scratching their heads and trying to figure out what I told them. "

"You are something else." he said.

"So I've been told, numerous times, I might add." she said happily. "So, since I just ruined our chance at dinner at _Mario's, _what do you say I make dinner for us? What do you want?"

"Babe, anything you cook is good enough for me."

…-

Dinner was homemade pizza and breadsticks, but the two ate as if it were their last meal. After they were finished, and the kitchen was cleaned up, they decided to plop down and watch a movie. Somehow or another, they had wound up raiding the small amount of alcohol Bella had kept in the apartment.

"So, what do you wanna watch?" Duo asked, sitting his glass of whiskey and coke on the coffee table before raiding through her video collection for something that wasn't a chick flick.

"I don't care." she said. "But all the good ones are over there." She pointed to another cabinet, and Duo walked over to it, finding a large amount of movies more to his liking.

"How about this?" he asked, picking up a movie at random.

"That's fine." Bella groaned, not even paying attention to whatever it was. She'd already seen every movie she had, so it really didn't matter to her which one he picked. Duo popped the disc into the player and settled himself on the couch, downing the last of his drink, then handing Bella her own.

The opening credits began rolling, and Bella looked down at the drink in her hand. They had both attacked her bottle of tequila during dinner, and she had no doubt that had they been drinking on an empty stomach, she'd been tipsy as all hell right now.

"You gonna stare at that thing all evening, or drink it?" Duo asked, getting comfortable on the couch.

"I shouldn't be drinking this." she said. "Tequila makes me bitchy."

"I think I can handle it." Duo said, pulling her down onto the couch and to his side. Bella shrugged, downed the last of the drink and plopped it onto the table, then curled up next to Duo.

"No more alcohol for me." she said, grinning at him. "My tolerance is not as good as it used to be."

"As it used to be?" Duo asked.

"I used to drink a lot." she said. "But I quit a couple of years ago."

"Why?" Duo asked. "A couple drinks never hurt anyone." Bella remained quiet, not wanting to ruin the good evening they'd had by bringing up her own mottled past. "Bella?"

"I quit drinking after the accident." she said quietly, fidgeting slightly. "Now, I only drink when I go out, social drinking if you will. I can't hurt anyone else that way."

"It was an accident." Duo said carefully. "I don't know much, but I do know that much. You're not the one to blame."

"I just don't want anyone else to get hurt because I'm not in my right mind." she said, snuggling up against him. Duo put his arm around her and gave a half smile. "It's safer for everyone this way."

"I think you'd be fun not in your right mind." he teased.

"Duo!"

"It's the truth." he said, smiling at the scarlet tint that had come across her face. "You're too uptight sometimes. You need to relax a little."

"I am not!" she said indigently. "I can relax."

"You are so full of yourself." Duo teased. By now, the movie had been completely forgotten.

"I am not." she whined, getting to her knees and putting her hands on her hips. The little bit of alcohol they had started with had quickly escalated to half the bottle, and then two-thirds. She glanced back towards the kitchen table, and saw that there was only a quarter inch or so of the liquid left in it.

"You need to relax." Duo said, grinning at her.

"And how do you propose I do that?" she asked, grinning when he reached out and put his hands on her hips, pulling her down to him. "I thought we were watching a movie."

"We were." Duo muttered, burying his head in her hair on the side of her neck. "But I've got a better idea."

"And that would include holding me on your lap and hiding your face in my hair?" she teased, running her fingers through his own hair.

"I'm not complaining if you're not." he muttered, settling her down into a more comfortable position. Bella felt him lay his head on her shoulder and relax. "You're comfortable."

"Thanks." she said, smiling. Her head was a little fuzzy from the last drink she'd downed, and she slowly felt her inhibitions slipping away.

Duo's fingers were securely latched around her waist, holding her in place, and they did not feel like they were going to let up on their death grip anytime soon. She shifted and got into a less compromising position.

"Where do you think you're going, missy." he mumbled.

"Somewhere so that anyone who looks through the window won't think we're doing something we shouldn't be." she said, ruffling his hair.

"We're fourteen stories up." Duo said. "Who in the hell is going to see us even if we are screwing on the couch?"

"Good point." Bella said, shrugging. "You plan on letting me go?"

"No." he said. "I like where I am."

"I figured you'd say that." she said, rolling her eyes. "But I'm not."

"Is this better?" Duo asked, maneuvering them both so that she landed on her back on the couch and he was on top of her, grinning like a madman.

"Pervert." Bella said.

"You like me like that though." he mumbled.

"Oh, of course I do." she said, her voice tight and controlled. Duo lifted his head up and frowned at her. "I absolutely love guys who come to my apartment, get me drunk, and then jump on top of me!"

"If you're joking, that's cruel. But if you're being sarcastic, it's even worse." he muttered. Bella laughed and reached up to push his bangs out of his face.

"I'm kidding." she said, placing a small kiss on his forehead. "I didn't mean it." Duo just grinned and leaned down to her, stealing a quick kiss from her lips, and causing her to blush scarlet red and look away. Duo, thinking he had made a grave error, backed up and scratched his head when she didn't say anything for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Bella." he said. "I don't know what made me do that."

"It's okay." she said, smiling slightly. "Just caught me by surprise there."

"I don't regret it." he said happily, pushing back and letting her up. Bella sat up and pushed her hair back, feeling more like an awkward school girl than she ever had before. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." she said. "A little too far gone from the tequila, but I'm okay. I'll sleep it off."

"That's probably the best thing to do." Duo said, knowing she was right. The alcohol he'd been drinking since dinner was starting to get to him as well, and he knew that things would get out of hand if he and Bella didn't put some space between them, and soon.

The mutual, unspoken attraction between the two of them had been building since he'd stepped foot into her apartment the day before, and both knew that. It had been capped off with Bella once again running interference when they had been found by Hilde earlier that day. Duo just was not sure what to do about it anymore, so he did the safest thing he could before he blew a chance with her….he did absolutely nothing.

"You crashing here tonight?" she asked, getting up from the couch and stretching her arms out. She had to get away from Duo before she let things get a little too far out of hand.

"Yeah." he said. "If you don't mind." Bella nodded and grabbed the blanket she had folded up earlier that day after he left.

"Sweet dreams." she said, smiling.

"You too." he answered, popping the blanket out and kicking himself in the rear when she turned and walked towards her bedroom without another word.

"You screwed it up, Maxwell, you idiot!" he scolded himself angrily, pulling the covers over his head. "When are you going to learn?" As he muttered himself to sleep, Bella was having her own internal chat with herself.

…-

_You have absolutely lost your mind, girly._ she thought, getting into her bed. _You are drunk. That's it! There's the reasoning behind why you just all but let Duo Maxwell feel you up on your own couch! What are you thinking? Now he's going to think you're nothing more than some easy lay! What in God's great name were you thinking?_

She shook her head, trying to dispel the feeling of his hands when they had been around her waist while they were sitting on the couch. That unfamiliar tingling feeling was still there, and was not going away anytime soon.

_What have you done, Belladonna?_ she asked herself angrily, punching the pillow. _You're getting tied up with another guy. You know that only spells trouble for you! Look at what happened to your last boyfriend! He's dead! _

Belladonna just collapsed onto her bed and let out a huge sigh of exasperation, unaware the Duo was berating himself as she lay there.

_I'll damned well figure it out in the morning._ she thought, closing her eyes and willing herself to sleep, despite the tingling all over her body. _Hopefully, we'll just chalk this up to a freak accident happening because of an overdose of alcohol, and leave it at that. Safest way out, that is._

She pulled her blanket up over her head, but she knew it was not going to block out the feelings that Duo had brought out in her with just a few touches.

Yep. It was official.

Belladonna was falling head over heels for the long-haired, food fighting Preventor that was currently sleeping in her living room.

And there wasn't a damned thing she could do to stop it.

…-

**A/N -** Okay, as you can most obviously tell, writing lovey-dovey scenes is not my strongest point. Give me carnage or fights, and I can help you, anything but kissy scenes. I just can't do them.

So, with that said, are there any volunteers out there who would like to write the next few little fluff moments between Duo and Belladonna? I'm asking because I am going to need a few more, but I just can't bring myself to write them.

If anyone is interested, leave me a review telling me, and I'll get in touch with you A.S.A.P. If I use yours, you will get full credit, I can assure you. I'm not trying to steal someone else's work, I promise. But I do need some help.

Now, with that said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please drop me a line, telling me what you think. Even if it is to tell me how horrible the interaction was between Duo and Bella at the end. Trust me, I already know. ;)

Later,

A.A.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer -** It's not mine. Never was. The only characters I own are the ones that have never originally appeared in the Gundam Wing manga or anime series. I'm making no money

**Mizz Crazy -** Your comments are far from bothersome. They help more than you may realize. I like your quote as well. It is definitely something to think about. Well, hope you enjoy the newest chapter. Later.

**Ahanchan -** I'll keep you in mind since you're the only one that has volunteered to write the fluff. Huggles you And no, I haven't scene Crush, although what you said is amazingly similar to what I had originally planned to due. Alas….I changed my mind….again! Anyhow, Thanks for the continued support, and I hope you enjoy the newest chapter. Later.

**Silversilence0 -** Yeah, the image of seeing Bella chasing around a three year old is kinda funny, isn't it? I will honestly work on the fluff thing. (If it makes you feel any better, I've never figured out why they call if 'fluff' either. shrugs Whatever.) Anyhow, thanks for the review, and I hope you like the newest chapter. Lots of Bella running behind the kids…

**

* * *

**

_Duo's Dilemma_

_Chapter 13_

_Pasts Revealed_

* * *

Dawn's bright light broke through the windows of Bella's apartment, causing Duo to groan and roll over, pulling the pillow over his head. His foggy brain registered the smell of bacon and eggs wafting in from the small kitchen, and his stomach gave an audible growl. He groaned again, and slowly sat up, looking over the back of the couch at the clock on the wall. 

9:00 A.M.

"Are you awake yet, Duo?" came Bella's voice. Duo scanned the area and found her standing in the small doorway that led into the kitchen, a glass of juice and two aspirin in her hands.

"I'm up." he grumbled, falling back down onto the couch. "Not coherent, but up."

"Take these. It'll make you feel better." she said gently, handing him the pills and juice.

"You're an angel, babe." he said, downing the medicine.

"I try." she said with a grin. "Think you're up to eating something? It helps with the headache." Duo nodded and Bella got up from the couch, heading back for the kitchen. The still half asleep Preventor yawned, stretched, and scratched his head, trying desperately to get his mind into a functioning mode. Duo never had been much of a morning person, and it showed.

When he finally got there, Bella was sitting a plate of scrambled eggs and toast on the table. He took his seat, and immediately reached for the large mug of black coffee in front of him.

"So, you got plans for today?" he asked after gulping down some of the hot liquid. Truth was, he wasn't even suffering from a hangover, but his stomach wasn't complaining about the nourishment.

"I'm going to Benelli's church, actually." Bella answered. "I need to speak with Father Benelli about some things."

"Aren't they reporting today on the new renovations that were done?" Duo asked, remembering that he had saw the headline on the colony paper the day before.

"Actually, yes. Since I helped fund much of the renovations, he asked me to be there for it." Bella said with a shrug, taking a bite of her eggs.

"Do you do a lot of work with the orphanage?" Duo asked.

"I do what I can. I'm more of a financial backer than anything. But I do like to go see the kids when I'm here. They're absolutely precious." she smiled.

"When did you start working with them?" Duo asked, trying to search his memory for what her file had said when he'd first met her. "I know the background information we got said you helped out a bit."

"I've always had a soft spot in my heart for it." she said. "Even when the Maxwell church and orphanage was there all those years before the war, I went to Sunday Mass with my mom anytime we weren't traveling with Marshall Noventa. When it burned down, my mom helped to have it rebuilt, but the man who was the major financial backer at the time didn't want it to be renamed as Maxwell church, so the name was changed when Father Benelli took over. And ever since my company got on its feet, I've been watching out for it. Heck, to be honest, if my dad hadn't took me after mom died, I'd have probably wound up there."

"Mind if I come with you?" Duo asked.

"I don't mind, but are you sure you want to go?" Bella asked, seemingly skeptical of him. "I usually stay there all day, since my visits are so infrequent."

"Yeah, should be fun." he said, shrugging. "I just need to change clothes. Can we stop by my place for a second?"

As promised, after a quick five minute delay at Duo's apartment on the other side of town, the Preventor and C.E.O. headed for Benelli church. It was a little before noon, and since it was a Saturday, there were a large number of children outside playing when they got there.

When the taxi pulled up the driveway and Bella got out, the children in the large fenced in yard immediately swarmed her. Duo stepped out of the yellow taxi and took a good look at the sight before him. The woman in front of him had no less than eight children between the ages of four years old and nine years old, handing all over her, with huge grins on her face.

"Ms. Belle! Ms. Belle! Come play with us, please!" begged one little boy, tugging on her shirt.

"We's playin' baseball." another little girl said, holding up a worn, white baseball as proof.

"Pretty please." another little girl begged. "The boys are beating us!"

"They are?" Bella asked, acting utterly astonished at the concept. "Well, we'll just have to fix that, won't we?" The little girl tugged on her shirt, trying to get her to come out in the yard and play.

"How about we let Ms. Bella and her friend speak with Father Benelli first?" came a slightly amused voice from an older girl that had just come out of the huge doors which led into the church. "Then I'm sure she'll be happy to play with you."

"That's right." Bella said, sending a slightly grateful smile to the blonde teenager.

"But they're winning!" someone whined. "Peter's playing on their team, and we can't beat him! He's too big!"

"I'll play until Ms. Bella can come out." the teenager said, taking one little girl's hand and smiling. "How's that sound?" The children didn't seem to happy, but Bella smiled and winked at them.

"I won't be long." she said, ruffling one little boy's red hair. "Go on with Violet, and I'll be out soon okay? I'll even see if I can get my friend to play, how's that?" The congregated children turned their eyes to Duo, as if they had just realized that he was standing there. They seemed to take a collective step backwards, unsure of what to make of the stranger that had come with their friend. But one little black headed girl stepped forward and regarded him slightly.

"Who're you?" she asked.

"Duo Maxwell." he said, grinning. "Who're you?"

"Cordelia." she said simply. "Are you Ms. Belle's boyfriend? Cause if you are, you better be nice to her!"

"You know about that stuff?" Duo asked, completely shocked that a child as young as her grasped the concept of '_boyfriend_'.

"That's enough, Cordelia." came a man's voice, pulling Duo out of having to answer a tricky little question. He looked up, only to see an elderly man dressed in the black and white robes of a priest. His hair, which had obviously been black at one point in his youth, was graying slightly, and he had a smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, Father." the little girl said quietly, hanging her head at her gentle chastisement. The others had remained quiet, not sure of what was going to befall their visitors. "Violet, would you take them to play? Bella will be along shortly."

"Yes, Father Benelli." the blonde said. "Come on, kiddies. Let's go play." The children gave a halfhearted grin and followed her back out to the yard where another teenage boy stood, apparently he was the Peter that the girl had whined about.

"You are early, my child." Father Benelli said, turning his attention to Belladonna. She smiled and hugged the old man in greeting. "And you brought a friend. What a surprise."

"Better early than late." Bella said happily. "Father, I'd like you to meet Duo Maxwell. He's a good friend of mine who insisted on coming today."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Maxwell." the priest said, shaking Duo's hand. "Bella usually doesn't bring anyone with her when she visits."

"Likewise, sir." Duo answered, nodding politely.

"Did you manage to finish up the paperwork, Father?" Bella asked. "The zoning committee is satisfied now with the new renovations?"

"More than satisfied, child." the old man said with a nod. "Everything is finished, and the committee is ready to approve the extension. Nothing is left to do now but wait."

"That's good to hear." she said. "And the interview?"

"This evening, right before dinner." the man said, motioning for them to walk beside him. "I know you had hoped not to work while you were on vacation, but the reporter asked for you specifically."

"It's okay." Bella said, her eyes drawn to where the kids were playing baseball in the yard. "I'm glad I can help. Was there anything else?"

"Not now." the priest said with a chuckle, seeing where her attention was. "Go on, I know you want to get out there with them. I'll take you bag inside. Go on." Bella smiled like a little kid and turned to Duo.

"I hope you like kids." she said, leading him over to where the children were playing baseball.

"Never really been around them." Duo said. Which was true. He wasn't exactly the first person anyone would call if they needed a babysitter for the evening.

"Well, if you're as good with kids as you are with computers, then you should survive today." she said with a good natured smile as the children noticed them walking over. Duo saw the masses coming and felt the blood in his body go cold.

"And if I don't survive?" he asked.

"Then I'll ship your body back to your boss." she said with a wink. "First class even."

"Gee, thanks." he mumbled.

"Just play with them." she smiled. "Kids are easy to get along with. Heck, they're not all that different from you when you start teasing and goofing around."

"We'll see." Duo said, taking the baseball glove from one of the kids that had handed it up to him. "We'll see."

* * *

Duo had wound up playing baseball, basketball, football, and every other kind of 'ball' there was within the first few hours of being there. Of course, Bella was never far away from him, right along with her little semi-permanent redheaded attachment, also known as Charlie. The boy had latched onto Bella when she'd got out to the game, and absolutely refused to get more than twenty feet away from her. 

Of course, Duo seemed to have acquired one of his own…in the form of the little black headed girl Cordelia that had asked him whether or not he was Bella's '_boyfriend'_. She was actually a very shy little girl, or one of the nun's had said. So it amazed many of the adults when the little girl latched onto Duo's braid and proceeded to '_make it pretty'_.

They had eaten lunch around noon, and then wound up playing tag for a couple hours, interspaced between the tickle wars and '_let's jump on the adults' _game that the neither Bella nor himself had figured out yet. All he knew was that the game seemed to be over when both he and Bella, as well as some of the older teens, were pinned onto the ground by a pile of giggling, laughing kids.

Now, he was standing right outside a small room where Bella had managed to get all the younger children into while she was telling them a story. Beside him, the blonde girl that he'd been introduced to was standing. Violet had been out there with them all day, and was looking none the worse for wear, unlike himself.

"Have they worn you out already, Mr. Maxwell?" the girl chuckled, looking into the room where Bella was telling her enraptured audience the story of Dorothy, and the Wizard of Oz.

"Where do they get all their energy from?" Duo asked. He'd been on two week long missions and never been this exhausted before. "I don't know how Bella keeps up with them!" The girl just laughed and watched as the elder woman drew her audience in even further into the story.

"The nuns have a hard time keeping up with them, even the younger ones." Violet said with a grin.

"How many children are housed here?" Duo asked, turning to face the young woman with blonde hair and big brown eyes.

"Nearly forty-five." she said, shaking her head. "Most of them are orphans from the war. "The rest of us older ones have already left, but come back to help out when we can."

"There wasn't even that many when I lived at Father Maxwell's." Duo muttered.

"You grew up at the Maxwell orphanage?" she asked, pining him with a questioning glance. "I was under the impression that all the children and clergy died during the attack."

"I got out." Duo said glumly, not really wanting to discuss such a touchy subject with the young lady. She seemed to sense his reluctance to talk, and switched to another topic.

"Ms. Bella is good with the children, isn't she?" Violet asked. Duo nodded, watching as one little boy climbed into her lap and situated his head on her shoulder. Bella just smiled, missing nary a word of her story while he situated himself on her lap. "Sometimes I think the Lord took away her ability to have children simply because he saw fit for her to care for all the ones that do not have parents."

"Belladonna can't have children?" Duo asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

"Oh, I thought you already knew." the girl said, blushing red. "My big mouth…"

"Tell me." Duo said. "Why can't she?"

"You know she had an accident a few years back, right?" the girl asked, testing the waters slightly.

"Yeah, and she had a miscarriage." Duo said, nodding. "I know."

"Well, when the doctors performed the surgery to stop the internal hemorrhaging afterwards, one of the surgeons said that it would be a possibility that the scar tissue that formed could cause her to never have another chance at conception." Violet said sadly.

"Do they know this for a fact?" Duo asked.

"They're not 100percentsure, or so she says." the girl said, shrugging. "Of course, I doubt she's experimented to find out either."

"That's…."

"Horrible." Violet said. "I know. She was so upset when they told her. But can you blame her?"

"No, I guess not." Duo said, looking in at the woman with a new found respect.

"But it seems like the children take her mind off of it, at least when she's here." the girl said. Overhead, a bell sounded four o' clock, and the girl smiled. "Excuse me, Mr. Maxwell, but I must be off to my afternoon duties."

Duo just nodded and waved her off, then turned to see that Bella was finished with her story, and the children were slowly starting to file out the room and head off in different directions.

One of the younger nuns came in and took the little boy from Bella, a small smile on her face as the C.E.O. stroked the little boy's wavy hair. The expression on Bella's face was one of utter love and contentment. There was no doubt in Duo's mind that she was thinking about her own son, the one she had never gotten to hold and cuddle like she was doing to the little boy in her arms at the moment.

When she finally handed him over, the nun walked out, leaving Bella in the room by herself. Duo watched as she just stood there, looking around the room. Her back was to him, but he could see her arms wrap around her shoulders in an impromptu hug. She walked around the room, seemingly inspecting the scattered toys and books all around her. After a few minutes, duo cleared his throat, and she turned around. There was a slight smile on her face, but he could see the moisture collecting in her eyes.

"You okay?" he asked, walking into the room.

"Fine. Just thinking." she said, looking over a building block she had picked up from the floor.

"They mean a lot, don't they? The kids, I mean."

"Yes, they do. I'd take everyone of them home with me if I could. It's just a shame that their families gave them up. No child should have to go through that."

"They've got each other." Duo quipped. "And trust me, being an orphan is not so bad when there are others like you all around."

"I suppose not." she said with a sigh, placing the block in a toy box. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, neither one really sure of what to say. Finally, a discreet cough brought their attention back to the present, and they turned to find Father Benelli standing in the doorway.

"Yes, Father?" Bella asked.

"I am sorry to intrude, my child." he said, a small smile on his face when he saw how the two young adults quickly put some space between themselves. "But the reporter who asked to interview you about the renovations to the church and the orphanage is here." He placed her duffle bag at the doorway.

"I'll be down, sir." she said. The priest nodded and walked away, leaving the two alone once again. Bella walked over and picked the bag up, unzipping it. "I need to get dressed." she muttered. Duo nodded in understanding and left the room so she could change. She came out a few minutes later, stuffing her jeans and shirt into the small duffle bag. After dropping the bag on the ground beside the wall, she looked over at Duo and smiled, turning around.

"Do I look presentable?" she asked. She'd changed into black pants and dark blue shirt, along with a pair of boots that seemed to make her a little higher. She'd brushed her hair out and touched up the little bit of makeup, but it was hardly noticeable.

"Looks fine to me." he said. "I'd have kept the other clothes on. They looked just as good. More comfortable at any rate."

"Isn't that the truth." she mumbled. "Oh well, the things I do for people." She picked the bag back up and nodded towards the front of the church. "Let's get this over with."

"In much of a hurry, are we?" Duo asked, walking beside her.

"It's almost dinnertime, are you kidding?" she asked, beginning to descend the stairs down to where the cameraman and reporter was. "Sister Theresa told me that they're having spaghetti tonight. That stuff is the best! Besides, this shouldn't take long. Violet said that the reporter is new, so it won't be long before the poor guy starts sweating, gets uncomfortable, and then leaves."

"I'll take your word for it, babe." Duo grinned. Bella just smiled sweetly and broke away from him to go talk to the young man who was speaking with Father Benelli. She greeted the man warmly enough, and Duo caught the appreciative glance that the man sent her way when her attention was directed towards Father Benelli. He frowned and was about to go interrupt when there was a tug on his pants leg. Duo looked down and found little Cordelia, holding a coloring book and some crayons.

"Color?" she asked, holding the multi-colored writing tools up so he could see. "Pwease?"

"Okay, princess." Duo grinned. "Sure. Why not?" Cordelia grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards another room away from the foyer. The Preventor took one last glance over at Bella, only to find her frowning deeply at the young reporter and shaking her head at something he had said.

* * *

Dinner had been pleasant, and Duo found that Bella had not been kidding when she'd said that the food was good. After they were all done, and the plates picked up, Bella had taken a bit of time to talk to a couple of the older teens, including the blonde girl Violet. 

One of them told him that Bella systematically hired some of the graduating teens for work on the colony. And some of them she even flew to Earth to fill the positions left open by retiring employees, or people she'd been forced to fire. The positions were welcomed by the graduates, no matter what they were. Especially since many of them wanted to go to college. And having a resume that had _SaucierCorp_.'s name on it, along with a personal recommendation from Belladonna herself in many cases, looked good to college entrance examiners.

While she was taking care of business on that area, Duo had been roped into helping get the little boys bathed and ready for bed. It had went fine mostly, except for the fact that one little boy named David had decided to get in the water and start a water fight with him. The nun had come in there and found Duo, along with an immobilized David -complements of a number of strategically tied towels- dripping wet.

Instead of berating Duo for letting it get out of hand, she'd simply told him to take his own clothes off and wrap up in a towel while she dried his clothing.

Twenty minutes later, when he was once again dry and dressed, Duo had come down the stairs to find Bella finishing up her conversation with Violet.

Unfortunately, before he could get down the steps to her side, a gaggle of pajama clad children came out of the other room and surrounded Bella, causing her to break out into a huge grin. Duo walked on down and was attacked by Cordelia and another little girl with mousy brown hair and big blue eyes. After sufficiently tickling them enough to get them to let go of his braid and clothes, Duo walked over to Bella's side.

"Can we have a story?" one little girl asked, stifling a yawn. Bella looked over at the nuns, who smiled and motioned for her to go on.

"I guess." she said. "Everyone gather around and tell me what you want to hear." They walked over into a large room and Bella sat down on a couch.

"Robbers!" one boy called.

"Dragons!" said another one.

"Princesses!" cried Cordelia.

Bella smiled and waited for them to settle down around her. When the last one was safely tucked in between their peers, Bella motioned for Duo to come sit by her.

"Mr. Maxwell gets to help me with this." she said with a smile. Duo, who had never in his entire life told a child a bedtime story, just looked worried. "Just help me make something up." she whispered.

"What's the story about?" one little girl asked.

"Well, it's a story about a pair of thieves." she began. "One boy and one girl. And they lived on opposite sides of a large forest."

"What were their names?" one boy asked. Bella looked over at Duo, as if expecting him to answer.

"Solo." Duo blurted out quickly. "Solo and…" He looked over at Bella, who just smiled, refusing to help him out. "Angel. Solo and Angel."

"Right." Bella grinned, turning back to the story. "Now, these two were the worst of enemies, always trying to out do the other. Well, it came to pass that the king of the land needed help. A rogue dragon had kidnapped his youngest son, along with stealing a large chest of valuable jewels…."

"Of course, the king was a mean guy, and didn't really care what happened to his son, so long as he got the jewels back." Duo said mock seriously. "And that made the thieves mad."

"Yes, it did." Bella continued on. "You see, they were thieves, yes, but they never had hurt anyone the entire time they stole from the mean king."

"Of course, it's not like they hadn't wanted to." Duo stressed, causing some of the children to laugh. "They were just really nice people. Really"

And so it continued for the next few hours. Bella would weave a tale, and Duo would run commentary. The kids had a good laugh, and they were

"…and that is how Solo and Angel saved the little prince, adopting him as their own, and learning that sometimes the person you love the most is right in front of you. Sometimes you just can't see it."

By the time she was finished, it was close to ten o'clock, and most of the younger children were asleep, curled up next to their older friends. Even the little red head that had been hanging onto Bella all day, and was now sitting in her lap fast asleep, was snoring lightly.

A few nuns came forward, along with Father Benelli, and began picking up the two dozen or so toddlers and bringing them to their beds. Bella stood up and motioned for Duo to hand Cordelia to one of the others.

"Give her to Violet." Bella whispered, adjusting her hold on little Charlie. "You can help me with the boys if you want." Duo nodded and picked up one of the little boys at his feet when Violet managed to untangle Cordelia's hands from Duo's thick hair.

They climbed up two sets of stairs before finally coming to stop at a set of doors that led into the boys sleeping room. Father Benelli pushed open the door and walked in, gently placing the boy he had on the bed that was assigned to him.

The older boys came forward and took some of their schoolmates from the nuns, putting them to bed. Most of the older boys grinned in acknowledgement to Bella while she help put the sleepy ones to bed. A couple had woken up, and were fussing and whining, but she quieted them down with a few gentle words and a kiss on the forehead.

When they were all secured, Duo and Bella followed Father Benelli down to the foyer of the orphanage.

"It is getting late, children." he said. "Are you leaving?"

"I think so." Bella said, giving the man a hug. "I've got work to catch up on tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure Duo has things to do as well."

"Well, be safe, and I will look forward to your return." he said, shaking hands with Duo. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Maxwell."

"You as well, sir." Duo answered.

"I won't be able to come by tomorrow, Father." Bella said as he walked them to the door. "But be expecting some supplies to come by tomorrow after Mass."

"I will." he said, waving them off into the night. She smiled and linked her arm with Duo's, smiling at him.

"Goodnight, Father."

"Goodnight, my children."

They were nearly a half mile down the street from the church before Duo broke the comfortable silence they had lapsed into.

"It's about to rain." he said. "We should call a cab."

"I didn't bring my cell phone with me." Bella muttered.

"Me neither." Duo said, looking up at the swirling night sky. "We should be able to make it to my place, though. We can call from there."

"Sounds good." Bella said, wiping a few stray droplets of water off her face. "As long as you don't mind."

"Nah, don't mind." he said, pulling her over to his side.

Duo's apartment was about as close to a junk yard as Bella had ever seen. There were spare parts to all kinds of machines lying around, intermixed with computer components and piles upon piles of technological magazines.

"Nice place." she commented, grinning when he scratched his head awkwardly.

"Sorry, 'bout the mess." he said. "I usually don't have company over, unless it's one of the guys."

"Don't worry about it." Bella laughed. "I've seen worse, much worse." Truth be told, her own place had been just as bad when she'd gotten to the colony, but she'd managed to get it cleaned up a bit before Duo's unexpected arrival.

"Just push the junk out of your way." he said distractedly. "And I'll get you another shirt to wear." The rain had started pouring about a quarter mile away form his apartment complex, and they had been forced to run the rest of the way.

Duo pushed open his bedroom door and went over to his closet. After changing into some dry clothes, he dug around until he found an old t-shirt and some gray jogging pants that might fit Bella. When he walked back into the small living room, he laughed at the sight of Bella standing in front of a small mirror and trying to untangle her hair. The usually wavy brown hair had turned into a mass of chocolate curls thanks to the rain and wind, and Duo watched as she fought, trying to contain them with a hair tie.

"You're fighting a loosing battle, babe." he commented when she took the dry clothes from him. "Bathrooms first door on your left.

"Thanks." she said, disappearing into the small bathroom. A few minutes later she came out, dressed in the black shirt and gray sweatpants. Her curly hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, but there were still a few stubborn curls that remained clinging to her neck. She tried to pull them back into the band, but they just sprung back into place, causing Duo to grin at her.

He thought she looked absolutely adorable, dressed in his clothing that was too big for her, especially when her blue eyes narrowed in frustration as she continued to fight with her hair.

"Better?" he asked when she finally gave up the struggle with her locks.

"Loads." she said. "Thanks." The thunder crashed outside, and lightning lit up the sky. "God, it's storming outside."

"You sure you need to get home?" Duo asked skeptically, pulling aside one of the window blinds, only to see the city being pounded by huge rain drops. "You can crash here until morning if you want. It doesn't look like this is going to let up anytime soon."

"Thanks, but I need to go and finish some paperwork to send back to Daniel and Corey." she said. "And I need to get the supplies for the church on order so they'll be there tomorrow morning."

"You sure?" Duo asked, grinning at her. "I'll be good. I promise."

"I'm sure you would, Duo." she said, biting her lip to keep from smiling at him. "But I really need to go."

"You sure?"

"Yep, sorry."

"No worries." Duo said, shrugging. "Let me call ya' a cab then."

"Thanks again." she said, sitting down on an arm chair and stuffing her wet clothes into the duffle bag she had been carrying. Duo disappeared into his room and grabbed the cell phone he had left there earlier that day. He punched in the number to the cab company around the corner, waiting for someone to answer. The doorbell to his apartment rang, and he called out to Bella to answer it since he had just been brought off of hold.

A few seconds later, after he had given the cabbie the address, he heard Bella's angry voice arguing with someone else. He shut the phone off and walked back into the living room.

"….I can't have him, then you sure as hell won't!" cried an angry female voice that Duo knew all too well.

"What the hell…..Hilde!" he yelled, spotting the dark headed German girl in the doorway, glaring at Bella. He walked over and got between the two women. "What are you doing here?" he growled. The girl in question broke her stare down with an obviously pissed Belladonna and looked up at him.

"I was coming to see what you were doing tonight, and if you wanted some company." she said coldly. "But it looks like your evening entertainment is already here!"

"Where's you tag along, Kennan?" Duo asked. "He's usually not far away, go entertain him."

"He's gone on some business trip." Hilde said, grinning.

"I don't want to see you, Schbeiker. I thought I made that perfectly clear." Duo said coldly, sensing Bella step to the side and walk shoulder to shoulder with him. "Get out."

"But…."

"Out, Hilde!"

"Duo…it was an accident!" Hilde said desperately.

"He asked you to leave, Ms. Schbeiker." Bella said angrily, stepping in front of the taller woman when Hilde reached out for Duo. "Please do so, or I'll call security myself."

Hilde glared at the other woman and backed up.

"Duo is more than capable of getting me to leave if he wants to." she spat.

"I don't manhandle women, and you knew it." Duo said sternly. "But I can't say the same for the security guards. Get out, before you cause more trouble, Hilde."

"What's wrong, Duo?" the German girl prodded. "Has the God of Death lost his throne? When did one of the most feared Gundam pilots have any reservations about getting rid of someone in your way?" Duo's anger shot through the roof, and all he could see was red. At his side, Bella was shock still.

He hadn't told her he was a Gundam pilot before now, really hadn't planned on it, to be honest. He looked over at Hilde, who had a satisfied smirk on her face, and hung his head down, more ashamed than he had ever been for what he'd done during the wars. He didn't even look up when Bella turned to him, confusion and hurt on her face.

"You're a Gundam pilot?" she asked.

"He didn't tell you?" Hilde asked. "Duo was the pilot of Gundam 02, Deathscythe. The very one that the OZ trainee blew up in space. Quite a shocker, isn't it?"

"That's enough, Hilde." Duo said darkly, grabbing his jacket from behind the door and putting it on. "Let's go. You wanna talk? Then you're coming with me to do it!"

"Duo?" Bella asked, her hand on his forearm. "Where are you.."

"There's a cab on the way, babe." he said glumly, still not looking at her. "Go home."

"But…."

"Just go." he growled, grabbing Hilde's forearm and pulling her down the hallway and out of sight, never uttering a word.

Duo watched as Bella left his apartment complex…..three and a half hours later. He had climbed onto the roof of a small building across the street from his apartment and watched as Bella continued to pace back and forth in front of the window, apparently waiting for him to come back. She had given up though, and finally called a cab to come get her after sending the first one away.

The rain was still pouring when she dashed out of the building and to the waiting yellow car, but Duo could swear he'd seen tears in her eyes, even from the distance he was at.

****

I thank God everyday for what they done…..

Once she was out of sight, he headed back to his apartment with a morbid feeling that he was going to find something he didn't like once he got in there. He felt horrible, knowing that up until this point, he'd been able to keep his past exploits as a Gundam pilot under wraps, and away from the people around him. Hell, the only ones that knew he had piloted Deathscythe were either working as Preventors, or dead.

****

I felt safe again…..

It had not taken long to realize that some people still felt that the pilots of the Gundams should be convicted as mass murderers and shot down, despite what they had help to make. When he'd been with Hilde, one of their suppliers had somehow found out about him being a Gundam pilot and her being a traitor to OZ, and it had taken Duo going as far as threatening the guy's life to get him to shut up about it.

****

They really are amazing pilots, and extraordinary people…..

He still hadn't been able to piece together why he was so mad about Bella finding out his dirty little secret….especially when he'd already dug into her own past and found out about her child and relationship with that American Preventor, Gaylan. Whether it had something to do with the fact that he was probably the one that had inadvertently caused her mother's death when Romefellar had tricked them into attacking the New Edwards base, or whether he was feeling guilty for not telling her sooner, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he highly doubted she'd ever speak to him again after that bomb that Hilde had dropped on her.

**_I'm relatively sure that whomever it is, had enough on their conscious from that day at the base. No need for me to add insult to injury……._**

He pulled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door to his apartment. He scanned around the rooms, seeing if anything had changed since he left. Everything was still a mess; so he had no clue if Bella had thrown a fit after he left with Hilde, and started throwing things around his apartment. He did notice a piece of folded up paper on his refrigerator though, and went over to see what it was.

His hands were shaking lightly as they unfolded the crease, and his eyes scanned over the four simple words that were written in Bella's flowing handwriting.

It's okay. I understand.

The weight on his shoulders seemed temporarily lifted when he saw that she had scribbled the number to her cell phone and her apartment phone underneath her initials, along with instructions to call if he got the chance.

The note had said she understood, that it was okay; and Duo took that as her saying that she was willing to hear his side of the story….right along with an explanation as to why he hadn't told her already.

Duo knew that what he had done during the wars was for the good of the people, despite what it may have seemed like. The true intentions of the original _Operation Meteor _had never been revealed to the general public, and he was beginning to wish that the remainder of the Barton Foundation's members had been forced to confess what they had been planning after the incident with Mariamea had come to an end. Then the public would have known that despite what it may have looked like, that '_yes',_ they were the good guys.

Duo just groaned and slumped down onto a barstool, his head in his hands as he decided what he was going to do about Bella. He liked the young woman. Now, whether he actually wanted to admit to it or not was another thing entirely. He'd even defended her against Hilde's accusations that she was some tramp.

'_She's a tramp, Duo_!' Hilde had told him after they had gotten away from her. '_You're nothing to her! A toy, nothing more! Christ's sakes! She's the C.E.O of one of the world's foremost mining companies, why would she worry herself with some no-name Preventor!'_

Duo had used every ounce of his will power not to reach out and hit Hilde. He'd told her that Bella was no tramp. That she wasn't toying with him, and that it didn't matter if she was the Queen of the Earth, or if she was the C.E.O. of a company, Bella was a nice woman….so unlike herself.

'What're you going to do when she realizes that you were more than likely the one who killed her mother? Then what?'

He'd told Hilde that Bella had already forgiven the pilots for that mistake, even though he was beginning to wonder if she'd forgive him for not telling her who he was.

'Even if she did forgive you, it wouldn't work out! You live on different sides of the Earth for God's sake!'

That's when Duo had went overboard and yelled at Hilde, telling her that he could get a damned transfer to New Orleans if he wanted to solve that problem. Hilde had remained quite after that, mainly because Duo had refused to put in for a transfer when she had asked him to move out to the colony with her before things had gotten rocky between them.

The German girl had left after that, saying nothing to him, but instead crying in her hands. Duo had no doubt that he'd finally gotten the point he was trying to get over to her, and headed back to his apartment, only to be forced to take refuge on the room of the building across the street from his apartment because he didn't have the guts to face Bella….at least not at that time.

He got up off the barstool and headed to the bathroom to take a shower as the thunder boomed outside and the lighting lit up the outside sky. He'd worry about the consequences of Hilde's actions tomorrow, and Bella's reaction to the news that he was a Gundam pilot. He just hoped she was as understanding as she'd said she was.

Because as far as he was concerned, if it would have been him in her shoes, he'd try to take off the head of the people responsible for killing his parents.

* * *

A/N - Hey everyone. How's it going? Hope you enjoyed this newest chapter of Duo's Dilemma. I finally got my outline redone, and according to it, there are only five or six more chapters to go before it's finished. Yeah!

Any how, remember to review, I want to know what you think.

Later,

A.A.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer -** It's not mine. Never was. The only characters I own are the ones not seen in the Gundam Wing manga/anime. So don't sue me! It's not like I'm making any money off of this stuff.

Special thanks to the following people:

**Mizz Crazy -** Your comments are never a bother. And I enjoy hearing what you have to say. Feel free to do so at any time. And as far as school is concerned, I understand. Two words. College finals. Anyhow, I hope you like the newest chapter, and thanks for the review

**Ahanchan-** Good to see you are still with me. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Silversilence0-** Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you can see what I am trying to get across with the arguments and my justification for certain things. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Until next time, bye.

**Wolfkun -** Don't worry, Bella will find out about Quatre's hand in her meeting up with Duo, but not at the moment. That comes later on. As for Hilde's character, I couldn't help it. The girl in the anime reminds me so much of someone else that I know, that I kinda superimposed her personality on Hilde. I know I shouldn't have done it…but well….(shrugs).

**

* * *

Duo's Dilemma**

**Chapter 14**

**Reconciliation**

**

* * *

**

'_Three days.'_ Bella muttered, adjusting her grip on the two bags of groceries in her hands. _'Three days and not one word from Duo. Where could he have gotten to?'_

She began her short trek down the street to her apartment complex. There was no food in her apartment, and she had figured out earlier that morning that if she wanted to have something for dinner, then she had to bite the bullet and go to the grocery store. She hated going grocery shopping. But desperate times call for desperate measures, so she had went.

Bella got to the corner of the street and waited with the rest of the pedestrians until the light turned green and they could get across safely. She passed in front of the electronics store, and paused when the reporter aired the story about the additions to Benelli's orphanage. A few seconds later, she saw her own face fill the screens, answering the questions the journalist had asked her that day at the orphanage when Duo had went with her.

_'Quit watching yourself on the television and get a move on, girly.'_ she told herself. _'You've got work to do, and places to go this evening. And standing around here watching yourself is not going to get it finished!'_

She readjusted her hold on the two bags and continued on her way down the street. Unfortunately, she was passing in front of a hardware store when someone stepped through the door and ran smack into her. The groceries on top of the bag fell to the ground, and Bella bent down to pick them up. When she stood back up, who should be there to greet her, but the one woman on the entire colony that she had wanted to avoid.

"Ms. Schbeiker." she said curtly, nodding at the dark headed girl who was glowering at her. "Excuse me."

"Where's he at?" she demanded, looking around the sidewalk as if Duo would pop out of nowhere.

"If you are referring to Mr. Maxwell, then I can't help you." she answered, steel in her voice. "I have not seen him since the two of you took off into the night, three days ago. In fact, I'm surprised he's not with you."

"He's not speaking to me at the moment." Hilde said, biting her lip. "And I haven't seen him either, let alone talked to him."

"I see." Bella said, her eyes narrowed down in aggravation. "Well, if you'll excuse me then. I have things to accomplish today. Good day." She held her head up and continued on down the street, not looking back until she was at the entrance to her apartment building.

By the time she got to her floor, and into her apartment, she was thanking the heavens that she'd had her hands full when Hilde had come into view. She was still battling the urge to knock the smaller girl's head in for acting like such a clingy witch. Thankfully, she was pulled out of her homicidal monologue by the ringing of her cell phone.

"Bella, here." she answered distractedly.

"Hey, baby."

"Daddy!" she said, glad to hear her father's voice. She had not talked to him in a few days. "How are you? Is everything okay there? Where's Rita?"

"Calm down, pumpkin. Everything is fine. How are you? No problems I hope?"

"No, everything is fine." she lied, rolling her eyes. Her dad didn't need to know about her drama with Duo and the Schbeiker girl. He'd probably just laugh at her and then tell her not to worry about everything, that it would work out eventually.

"I saw your interview about Benelli's a little while ago. You did good, baby girl."

"It was nothing." she said, going over to start putting the groceries away. "It was good to see the kids again, though. They asked about you. And Father Benelli said to send you and Rita his regards."

"That's good to hear. Tell him Rita and I said hello, will you?"

"Will do, daddy."

"I do have a question though, pumpkin."

"Yeah?"

"Was that Preventor Maxwell I saw playing with the kids in the background of your interview?" Bella dropped the can of green bean she had in her hand when her father's teasing voice came through the phone. "That young man looked awfully familiar. And unless it was his twin brother, I would have sworn it was the same guy that was with Relena."

"Ummm, maybe?" she asked, not sure of what to say.

"Maybe?" her father asked, obviously not believing her evasive answers. She groaned and sat down on her counter top. Her father knew her track record with relationships, so there was no point in trying to pass it off without him knowing.

"Would you hate me if I said it was?" she asked glumly.

"No. But I would want to know why you sound so upset." he said.

"Two words." Bella groaned. "Bitchy ex-girlfriend."

"Not again?" he asked. "Belladonna, you have the absolute worse luck with men."

"Thanks, daddy. That really boosted my morale right now." she said, her sarcasm thick. "Just what I needed to hear."

"Sorry, baby girl."

"It's okay, daddy." she said, kicking her feet out. "No harm done."

"It'll be fine." her father said. Bella stifled a groan and rolled her eyes. Always the optimist, her father.

"I know, daddy."

"Well, I hate to cut the conversation short, but I've got to go, Bella."

"That's fine. I've got some things to finish myself." she said, sliding down off the counter top. "I'll call you sometime tomorrow. How's that sound?"

"That's fine. Take care of yourself, and stay out of trouble."

"I will. Bye, daddy. Love you."

"Love you, too. Bye, baby girl."

Bella waited until she heard her father hand up the phone before shutting down her phone and slipping it into her pocket. She headed straight for the bags of groceries and began putting them up. She still had one place left to go today, and she didn't want to be late.

* * *

Duo Maxwell was usually a fun loving guy who always had a smile on his face. Someone who could see the sunny side of any situation. And the one who was always making someone else crack up laughing at the most inoppurtune times. 

But today was not one of those days.

He had left his apartment earlier that day with every intention of taking a walk around the colony to clear his head. He hadn't spoken to Belladonna in three days, despite the fact that she had called three or four times, and even come over to his apartment. He just didn't have the guts to face her for some reason, and he couldn't figure out why. He'd been walking for a little over an hour before he finally looked up to where his feet had brought him.

_'Benelli's church.'_ he thought glumly. _'Someone's trying to tell me something, aren't they?'_ He stuffed his hands down deeper into his pockets and weaved his way through the gravesites, heading for the one place he always seemed to wind up at anytime something was bothering him. Duo looked down at the cold gray of the tombstones in front of him and frowned.

"Yes, I'm back." he said, kneeling down and picking away a few blades of grass that had been missed by the cutters. "You're favorite trouble maker is back, and I've screwed up good this time."

He proceeded to tell Sister Helen and Father Maxwell about the incident from three nights before, sitting down halfway through his story.

"So what am I gonna do?" he asked. "I've finally gotten rid of Hilde, but I doubt Bella is even going to want to speak to me now. She tried calling me. Hell, she even came by a few times, and I wouldn't even open the door!" He shook his head and tried to put his feelings into words…not something he was all that good at doing on the best of days.

"I've faced down some of the most dangerous people in the Earth and colonies and never flinched. But now I'm scared of one woman's reaction to what I done years ago? Ridiculous! I'll never pick on Heero again for being taken down by a little blonde pacifist, that's for damned sure."

Almost as if he was getting some sort of answer from the sky, the wind kicked up and he frowned. He noticed a stray piece of paper that was being kicked around by the winds, and followed it as it danced on the invisible currents.

"Well, I'll be damned." he muttered, noticing a very familiar woman standing on the other end of the graveyard, halfway concealed by the thick shrubbery. He could tell she was tense. And although he couldn't tell what she was saying, he could see her lips moving as she talked to no one in particular.

"You're trying to tell me something here, aren't you?" he asked, looking towards the sky. His only reply was another short gust of wind. "Might as well find out what she's ranting about. Although I have a distinct feeling it is probably me."

Duo gathered up his failing courage and walked closer to where Bella was standing, being as quiet as he possibly could. He hid behind the overhanging branches of a tree, but positioned himself so that he could hear what she was saying.

"…absolutely ridiculous, I tell you!" she was fuming. "And the worse part is, I'm not even angry at him for not telling me earlier! I'm mad because he won't even pick his phone up! I mean, what in God's name is the point of having a phone if you're not gonna use it?"

Yep. She was mad at him. Really mad.

"Well, it really wouldn't be so bad, but the Schbeiker girl said she hadn't even talked to him since that night, let alone seen him. Wonder if he hopped a shuttle back to Earth? Be my blasted luck, wouldn't it, momma? Relena would know…"

_'Oh, man. She ran into Hilde? No wonder she's mad. God I hope she didn't kill her.'_ he thought glumly. And as for hoping a shuttle back to Earth, he had considered it. But of course, he had backed out, figuring he'd manage to work up the nerve to face Bella and apologize for making such a mess out of her vacation.

"And he has the nerve to call himself a Gundam pilot! I thought they were supposed to be brave! It's not like I'm gonna attack him or anything! Good God, I could care less if he was Treize's right hand man…"

_'Say what!'_ he thought. _'Treize? What is she thinking!'_ He noticed that she seemed to consider her words for a second, then shake her head.

"On second thought, that's over doing it a little bit...okay, a lotta bit. Forget I said that." she corrected herself.

_'That's better.'_

"He already knows what I think about the Gundam pilots. I told him not that long before the house was shot up. Lord, help me! Did he think I was lying to him?"

_'She meant it.'_ he thought happily. _'She honestly doesn't care that I was a Gundam pilot.'_ Even when she had first told him about her mother, and she'd said that she wouldn't ostracize the pilots for what they'd done, he had been doubtful. But he believed her now…which only made him feel worse for disappearing after Hilde opened her mouth.

"Well, damn it all to hell! If Relena can get Yuy's attention, then I can at least get Maxwell to talk to me again. I mean, what'd I do, anyway? I even played the nice lady and kept my hands off of Schbeiker. What more does he want? Blood? Just my luck. The only other guy I've met that I've actually liked since Joseph died, and he runs off."

_'Where the hell did that come from?'_ Duo asked, more than just a little surprised at that last statement. He wasn't sure what to think, knowing that Bella apparently liked him more than she was letting on when they were together. His own feelings toward her had slowly been changing into something since he'd met up with her on the colony. Given, it was barely more than a week since he'd hoped a plane to his home colony, and even less than three months since he'd even met her, but still. He liked her. A lot. Probably more than he should have, given much time they'd known each other.

"You know, I'm doing something that I know I shouldn't be by getting myself tied up with Maxwell. Talk about a person going against their will!"

Duo just shook his head, not knowing what to make of her comments. He was getting more confused the more she spoke.

"All my grumbling isn't getting me anywhere, is it momma? Guess I've got some calls to make. So, where should I start looking for him? Earth? The colonies? Maybe Mars? Point me in some sorta direction here, will ya', mom. You always knew where to start looking for things I'd lost. What do you say now? Help me out one more time?" she asked.

Duo watched as she bowed her head and took a deep breath before placing a bouquet of mixed flowers at the head of the tomb. She took a few steps back, easily coming within reaching distance of Duo, who had stepped out from behind the partial concealment of the shrubbery.

"How about starting right behind you?" Duo asked, reaching out to touch her lightly on the shoulder. He felt her tense up automatically, but she didn't turn around, much to his surprise.

"Mother, if this is some kind of cosmic joke you're playing on me…I'm here to tell you right now. It's not funny." she said, looking skyward with an expression of complete and utter seriousness. Duo chuckled and shook his head, turning her around to face him.

"Nope, it's me. In the flesh." he said, giving her a half grin and rubbing his head. Now that he was face to face with her, he wasn't all that sure what he should say to apologize. And she seemed just as much at a loss for words.

"You okay?" she asked finally, looking him over and taking the initiative to start a conversation. "You kinda had me worried there. It's like you just…disappeared."

"Yeah, sorry about that." he said. "I had some things to…sort out, if you know what I mean."

"It's okay." she said, waving it off. "You're okay now."

"Yeah, I guess." he said. There was a few moments of pregnant silence before Bella spoke again.

"So, exactly how long were you listening to me ramble on to my mother?" she asked, a grin on her face.

"I came in about the time you were questioning why I had a phone if I wasn't gonna pick it up." he said. He saw slight blush that tinted her cheeks, and figured that he probably shouldn't have told her that. She seemed a little embarrassed by it, so he tried to put her at ease. "It's okay, though. But the comment about being Treize's right hand man had me wondering about your sanity there for a few seconds."

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Bella asked, redirecting the subject to something that apparently wouldn't have her turning into a fine example of a tomato.

"Just wandering around. You?"

"Visiting my mom." she said, nodding to the tomb. "I usually come anytime I visit. Helps me clear my mind, you know?"

"Well aren't you going to introduce me?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Where are my manners?" she asked, rolling her eyes and turning to face the tomb once again. "Mom, this is Duo Maxwell. The one I was ready to throttle for ignoring me the past three days."

"You're such an attention hog, you know that?" Duo teased, causing Bella to flush red again.

"Anyhow, Duo this is my mom, Cynthia Patrice Saucier." Bella said, gesturing towards the headstone that gave the woman's birth date, as well as her death date.

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am." he said, nodding. There was a few moments of silence until Bella turned to him and looked up.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble with Hilde the other night. And as far as you being one of the Gundam pilots, it really doesn't matter to me, just so you know."

"Don't start." he warned her. "If anyone was causing trouble, it was Hilde. Not you. And I'm sorry for not telling you about that little jewel of information earlier."

"It's okay. I understand why you didn't say anything."

"It's just that….when you told me that your mom had died in the attack on the New Edward's base…I didn't know how to deal with the fact that I might have been the one responsible for it." Duo mumbled. "There were so many innocent people there that day. It's not exactly a day I'm very proud of."

"It was a mistake, Duo." she said gently. "And not your mistake. Treize and Romefellar were responsible, not you Gundam pilots."

"But…your mom…" he said, shaking his head. "How can you be so….okay…with it? I'd be furious if I were you."

"Well it's a good thing you're not me, because I don't think you could kick your own ass." she said with a grin. Duo gave a half hearted grin, and Bella reached up to ruffle his hair. "We all have to die eventually, right? Life is short, Duo. Too short sometimes. You know that better than I do. And the only thing you can do is live it like you want. Momma did that, so I've got no regrets. And I don't think she would either. Yeah, it hurts sometimes without her sometimes, but you can't live in the past forever. You'll never get anywhere that way."

"You make it sound so simple." he said grumbled. He honestly wished he could rationalize some of the things he'd done as a Gundam pilot. But he still had no regrets, at least not deep down. He'd known then what he was fighting for. And he'd do it again if he had to. That's just the way he was.

"I try." she said, shrugging. "So, you got plans for the rest of the day?"

"Well, you see, I was supposed to go find someone and apologize profusely to her for being an idiot, but it seems like that has taken care of itself already." he grinned. "So the rest of my day just opened up."

"Do tell." she said, quirking an eyebrow. "Whatever shall we do?"

"Well, there is a circus in town." Duo said thoughtfully. "And I am in good with one of the clowns there. Could get you a guided tour if you wanted it."

"Sounds good to me." she said, taking one last look at the tomb before walking slowly away, but not before she blew a kiss at the stones. "Better than what I was going to do anyways."

"And what were you going to do?"

"Try to hunt down an annoying man that seemed to keep avoiding me for the past few days." she teased. "But lucky me, it seems like that little problem took care of itself. How do you like that?"

"I like it a lot." he said. He was quiet for a few seconds, and Bella would have sworn that she saw something akin to fear passacross his face when hemuttered his next sentence."So…we're okay, now?"

"Yeah, we're okay now." she said, placing her arm around his. "So, where's this circus?"

"It'snot far from here." Duo said. "Shouldn't take long to get there."

"Sounds good." she said. "I haven't been to a circus in years." They walked along the street in companionable silence for a while. Finally, the colorful signs of the circus came into view, and they could see the fifteen story Ferris wheel turning slowly while the music drifted through the streets.

"Come on, Bella!" Duo whined, pulling her through the entrance gates. "The sign said that Trowa's and Catherine's show starts in ten minutes."

"Okay, okay. Lead the way, my over exuberant friend." she said, shaking her head. Somehow, she had a feeling that this little trip to the circus was exactly what the both of them needed to get past the little incident with Hilde. Duo seemed to be in better spirits now, and she felt better knowing that he hadn't jumped a shuttle to Earth.

As he pulled her into the big top tent, rambling on about candy apples and pink cotton candy, all she could do was shake her head and smile at his antics.

He reminded her so much of the little children at the orphanage, so innocent and eager to please someone who would just give them a little bit of attention. Of course, Duo was anything but innocent, and she knew that from first hand experience. But it still didn't diminish the youthfulness of his attitude.

So when the lights in the tent dimmed down, and Duo gave a wolf whistle to the girl that stepped out into the center of the ring with half a dozen very sharp looking knives in her hand, Bella just shook her head even more and let herself be swept away in the lights and sounds of the circus.

Hey, if Maxwell could act like a kid for a few hours,there was no law anywhere that said she couldn't either..

* * *

**A/N -** Okay, I'm not exactly sure where this chapter came from. But here it is. I had to smooth things over with Bella and Duo, and try to move that relationship a little further down the road. I hope I pulled it off without everything seeming too forced. This chapter has literally given me migraines while trying to write it. But, alas…

Anyhow, now that I'm finished with my college finals, updates should be a bit more frequent.

Until next time,

A.A.

Oh, and remember to review. I'd like to know what you think.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Disclaimer**_ _- It's not mine. Never was. The only characters I own are the ones not originally present in the Gundam Wing anime or manga. No money is being made from this work of fiction. In other words, don't sue me because you're not going to get anything!_

_**A/N** - I have arisen from the dead! Bet you thought I forgot about this story, huh? Nope, not a chance. Although I am sorry about the long delay. Won't happen again, I promise. So, without further ado, here's the next chapter in this crazy saga. And special thanks to all of you who reviewed. I'm running a little short on time, so I can't mention all of you. But you know who you are!_

* * *

Duo's Dilemma

Chapter 15

We Did What!

* * *

Duo pulled her along towards the center ring of the big top circus tent towards a man in a clown suit, and a woman with daggers in her hands.

"Who are these people?" she asked, unable to keep the infectious grin from her face.

"Friends of mine that I want you to meet."

"You're friends with a guy who wears a clown mask, has gravity defying hair, and looks like he's on a permanent pissy fit? Not to mention a woman who looks like she could turn you into a shish-kabob with those knives?" Bella asked nervously.

"I like to have a diverse array of people around me." he said, feigning seriousness. Bella shook her head and allowed him to lead her over. "You'll like them, I promise."

"I'm sure I will. I might even ask that guy who his stylist is." she said, grinning. "That look could become a new trend." Duo just laughed and waved at the clown guy, who began walking over towards them.

* * *

"I told you not to get that close to the elephants." Duo said, shaking his head at the predicament Bella was in. "The sign even says not to get close." 

"I wasn't that close!" she answered vehemently from her spot about nine feet up in the air, an elephant's trunk wrapped securely around her waist. "He just reached out and grabbed me!"

"Right." Duo said, grinning when the elephant trainer finally got the gigantic mammal to put her back down onto the ground and let her go. The Asian man helped her across the enclosure, and back to where Duo was standing. "That was absolutely priceless! I'm glad I got a picture of it. Princess won't believe you were hung upside down by an elephant!"

"You don't have a camera." Bella said superiorly, not wanting to fall for the same threat twice.

"Didn't need one." Duo said evilly, holding up a small Polaroid in his hands of a terrified Bella hanging upside down from the elephants trunk. The young woman's face turned red in utter embarrassment, and she snatched for the picture, only to have Duo dance out of her range, still waving the picture.

"Duo, give me that picture." she said, eyeing him.

"You'll have to catch me first!" he said, taking off into the crowd like some hyperactive child. Bella just quirked an eyebrow and adjusted her shirt back to its right place before calmly following the same way he went. It was bad enough there were people who had seen that humiliating display with the elephant, she didn't want to make it any worse by chasing after the culprit.

* * *

"You're the best, Ms. Bella." the little redheaded Charlie said, hugging Bella tight that evening when she and Duo were about to leave Father Benelli's. They'd spent all day there, playing with the younger kids, and lining up a few jobs for some of the soon to be graduates of the local high and a few from the colleges. 

"Miss Belladonna has to go now." Violet said, trying to get the little boy away from Bella. "She'll be back soon, though." Charlie looked up at Bella with his wide brown eyes, and Duo could practically see the woman in front of him melt into a pile of goo as her motherly instinct came out.

"You are coming back, right Ms. Bella?" he asked sincerely. "You're not leaving us for good, right?" Belladonna stooped down and opened her arms to the little boy, enveloping him in a tight hug. The rest of the children seemed to take this as a sign, and formed a big group around Bella, each one hugging her tightly.

"I will be back, my little darlings." she said when she stood back up. Duo smiled and walked up to her.

"You better bring her back here soon, Mr. Duo." little black-headed Cordelia said seriously.

"I'll see what I can do, kiddies." Duo said with a wink. "Not to worry."

"Yeah, good husbands always look after their wives." another little girl said firmly. "And Mr. Duo will take care of Ms. Bella, just like my daddy took care of my mommy!" Duo looked down at the girl, who was no older than eight or nine, and tried to think of something to say to that. It was still awkward enough just hammering out where his relationship with Bella was going without mentioning marriage. Thankfully, Bella beat him to the punch.

"You don't worry about us." she said. "We'll be fine." That seemed to pacify the majority of them, and with a few more goodbyes, Duo and Bella were finally out of the building and walking down the street towards her apartment complex.

"Those kids are something else." Duo said, shaking his head. "It's like they never run out of energy."

"The perks of being young." Bella commented, looking out at the stars. "They're so young to have been through so much. They're innocence astounds me to this day."

"You really like kids, don't you?" Duo asked, watching her for a reaction. He still remembered when he found out she had once been pregnant, but had miscarried. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that that had probably been the worst thing she had ever gone through. And it only got worse when he recalled Violet telling him that she may never be able to conceive again as a result of the scar tissue from the surgery. As expected, her right hand went to her lower belly instinctively, and she nodded.

"I want children more than anything." she said quietly, a small laugh in her voice. "But first, I've got to get a husband. And that'll be nearly impossible."

"It's not all that impossible." he said easily.

"So you say." she commented, shrugging.

"I'll tell you what, Bella." Duo said, a twinkle in his eyes. "If you're not married by the time you're thirty, then I'll marry you."

"You're joking, right?" she demanded.

"No." he said, shaking his head. Bella was seemingly about to protest, but Duo held up his hands in a placating matter. "See, it works out good if you stop and think about it for a few minutes. I'll never have to cook again, so I won't burn down any buildings."

"And what do I get out of that arrangement?"

"Sex with me every night isn't enough?"

"DUO!"

* * *

"Duo! The fire doesn't need to be that high!" 

"The steaks need to thaw out, don't they?"

"Yes, but the pan isn't supposed to be smoking!"

"You've never heard of smoke-house flavorings?"

"Duo! It's on FIRE!"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"What's that noise?"

"The smoke detector!"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing."

"Then why is it making so much racket?"

"Possibly because there is smoke rolling into my living room?"

"That would do it."

* * *

"Go that way!" Duo whispered fervently as he and Bella ducked behind a colorful bumper made of plastic and stuffed with Styrofoam. They were in the middle of a game of laser tag at some place Bella had never even heard of. 

"We're getting our asses whipped by a bunch of teenagers!" Bella grumbled. "This is embarrassing!"

"It could be worse." Duo pointed out easily, glancing around a corner to find where their enemies were heading, only to have a neon green paintball fly past the end of his nose.

"Duo, we're running from a group of sixteen year old boys who are determined to turn us green via a game that went out of style in the twentieth century because you insulted their aim, and our only defense is an inch and a half bunker of Styrofoam and some guns that I have no idea what to do with." she dead panned.

"Like I said, it could be worse." Duo said, letting loose a spray of red paintballs in the general direction of the teenagers.

"Enlighten me as to how, again." she asked, getting to her feet and running behind him as they headed for another bunker. She fired the paintball gun randomly, and heard a boy's yelp and string of curses when one of the random balls of paint hit him.

"You could have already….."

"OWWW! That hurt you little twerp!"

"…been shot."

"Alright, you little punks." Bella growled. "This means war." She stood up and started blasting away at a group of boys who had started inching their way towards her and Duo's hiding place. The boys scattered quickly, but not before two of the three were covered from mask to boot in red paint.

"Much better." Duo grinned, nodding at her when she slid back down beside him. "You just might survive this yet."

* * *

They had just left a movie theater a few blocks from Duo's apartment, and were headed down the sidewalk after getting some ice cream cones to munch on. 

"That was a good movie." Bella said.

"It was a chick flick." Duo groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Was not." Bella countered. "Chick flicks do not show people being suffocated and eaten by a fifty foot snake."

"Yeah, but the guy gets the girl in the end, and they all lived happily ever after." Duo said. "Your typical happy ending. That's a chick flick."

"Would you have preferred them all to get eaten while they were floating in a raft down the Amazon River?" Bella asked demurely.

"Not by the snake." Duo said cheekily. "But there could have been some hungry piranhas chewing at the life raft. Now that would have been worth it." Bella only shook her head and grinned at the man beside her. They stopped at an intersection, still talking about the movie and its lack of a '_respectable_' ending, as Duo was putting it, when she noticed a familiar head of black hair standing on the other side of the street.

It was Hilde. And by the looks of it, she had spotted them.

The light turned green, and Duo and Bella crossed the street, only to be stopped by Hilde's curt greeting.

"Hello, Duo."

"Hello, Hilde." he said coolly, his arm resting lightly on Bella's waist as they came to a stop.

"How are you doing?" she asked nervously, glancing sporadically at Bella, who remained absolutely quiet during the interaction.

"Fine." he said. "Yourself?"

"Well enough." she said.

"Good to hear. Now, if you'll excuse us, Bella and I have some things to finish up before the night is over with." Duo said, leading Belladonna away from the street corner and down the sidewalk without another look backwards at the fuming Hilde.

* * *

Last night was the best night she'd had in a very long time. She and Duo had danced the night away at some night club called '_The Devil's Sins' _They had eventually gotten drunk as all hell, courtesy of the bartender's generosity. She remembered being sober enough to call for a cab, and then getting to her apartment, only to clean out the meager store in her wet bar. Everything else was pretty much a blank, except for remembering seeing Duo finally pass out on the couch in her living room. 

_'It was worth it.' _she thought with a dreamy, half-conscious grin. Bella felt that grin stretch into a smile as she recalled the last few moments of the dream she had just woken up from. It had been absolutely the most erotic dream she'd had in years. She and Duo had, for all intents and purposes, screwed each other like a pair of overly hormonal rabbits.

She snuggled up to her closest pillow and tried to will herself back to sleep, if only to hopefully finish out her dream before dawn's early light woke her up again. But one thing quickly caught her attention.

Her pillow was breathing…and moving…and snoring?

"Holy shit!" she muttered, sitting up in the bed and looking over at the warm body she had inadvertently snuggled up against.

Duo was sleeping soundly on his side, arms out where he had apparently been holding her while they slept. He looked so peaceful and calm, two things she definitely was not.

'_Did we…' _she thought, quickly gathering her scattered wits and trying to calm down and deal with this rationally. She instinctively reached down to pull the covers up to her chest, only to find that she wasn't wearing anything at all. She glanced over at Duo, only to find him just as devoid of any clothing as she was. A sheet wrapped around his legs provided the only modesty to be had in the early morning light.

_'Well, that answered that question.' _she thought grimly. Bella reached over and flicked on a small lamp that flooded her side of the bed in a soft light. Another quick glance around her room gave her the last bit of evidence she needed to realize that her dream had been more real that she had originally thought. The tank top she remember changing into before going to bed was lying in a heap on the floor, and her pajama pants were intermingled with a pair of stonewashed blue jeans that did not belong to her, and a long sleeved black shirt and red wife beater that were hanging off her dresser's drawer knobs.

_'What the hell have I done?' _she thought, catching herself before she flew into a full-fledged panic. _'This wasn't supposed to have happened!'_

Beside her, Duo groaned and rolled over, his long braid falling over the other side of the bed. Bella waited until she heard his soft snores once again before reaching over him to grab the little foil packets from beside his pillow.

'**_Trojan_**.' she read, panic slowly starting to sink in. _'This is definitely not good!'_ She crumbled them up in her fist and managed to slip out of bed without waking up the former Gundam pilot.

Although the meager light of pre-dawn offered little assistance, she managed to gather up her scattered clothing from around the bedroom and deposit it in the bathroom that was attached to her room. She silently closed the door leading into the bathroom, turning on the cold water taps and splashing herself in the face with the cooling liquid.

They had did it. After the days and days of teasing, taunting, and not so innocent flirting, they had slept together. And taking Duo Maxwell as a lover was not something she had planned on doing anytime soon.

By now she was shitting Frisbee's.

She had made love to him, even if she couldn't remember a damned bit of it.

'_Well... not really.'_ a more logical part of her brain clamored. _'You didn't really have a night with him. You were both drunk of your asses!' _Bella grabbed a nearby washrag and wiped her face off before reaching for a robe she kept hanging on the door. She sat down on the toilet lid and tried to calm her breathing down before she hyperventilated.  
The clock on the wall read 4:13 A.M.

She was in for one hell of a morning.

* * *

Duo's foggy brain registered the small of frying bacon before anything else. He reached out and pulled a cover up over his head in an attempt to drive out the morning light. He rolled over and burrowed down into the warm spot on the mattress, trying to find his way back into the land of sleep, despite his stomach's attempts to keep him awake. 

"Alright already. I hear ya down there." he mumbled sleepily, slowly sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Halfway through his morning routine of sit, scratch, yawn, and stretch, he realized he wasn't in the same place he'd went to sleep the night before. "What the hell?"

He shook his head, scanning the room, and quickly placing himself in Bella's bedroom.

"What the hell am I doing in here?" he questioned, quickly noticing the lack of clothing on his bottom half. It took a few seconds to put the pieces of the puzzle together in his hung over state. But when he finally fitted them all together, and a nice little picture of the night before began to form in his hazy mind, Duo jumped to his feet in utter shock, effectively stubbing his big toe on the bedside table.

"Ohhh!" he whined, hopping up and down on one foot. "Who put that there?"

"Duo?" Bella asked, sticking her head into the bedroom door, only to blush at the sight of a stark naked Duo hopping on one foot next to her night stand and pull her head back out.

"Bella? What the hell am I doing in here?" he asked grumpily.

"Breakfast is ready if you think you can hold it down." Bella said, apparently ignoring his question.

"Where's my pants?" he whined, rubbing his foot and glancing around the room for his missing clothes.

"On top of my dresser." she called back. Duo glanced over to the dresser and saw his pants hanging precariously from the corner. He grabbed the jeans and threw them on, forgoing any boxers on the grounds that he couldn't find them. He left the bedroom, and walked through the living room, taking in the mussed blankets on the large couch, and two pillows on the floor. He saw Bella moving around the kitchen, setting two plates of food on the table, and his stomach rumbled in anticipation. Bella motioned him in there, and he

"How did I get in there?" he asked, rubbing his head and taking a seat at the table where Bella had put a mug of black coffee next to his plate of French toast. "I thought I slept on the couch last night."

"You did, but I'm guessing you didn't stay there for long."

"Not for…. What?"

"Duo, did you take a look around my bedroom this morning?"

"No." he lied, dreading where this conversation was headed. She seemed a little nervous, and had yet to even take a sip of her coffee despite the fact that her hands were wrapped around the ceramic mug.

She was nervous. He could deal with that. He wasn't exactly sure of how to handle this either. He'd been flirting with the woman in front of him since he'd met her. But he'd never actually thought they'd wind up sleeping together!

"Okay, well, you're shirt is hanging off my ceiling fan, just in case you were wondering where it was."

"Ceiling fan?" Duo asked. "What the hell happened last night?"

"Three guesses, and the first two don't count."

"We didn't…?" he ventured, only to have her nod silently, answering his question before he could even finish.

"We did."

"Seriously?" he asked.

"Yeah." Bella nodded nonchalantly. "I take it you don't exactly remember…?"

"Not a thing." he said, rubbing his head as the alcohol ran its last leg in his brain. "You?"

"Not a thing." she verified. She bit her lip, apparently trying to gather her thoughts before she spoke again. But the wordscoming out of her mouth made his blood run cold. "Duo, we've got a problem."

"It's not that big a deal. We're both consenting adults, Belladonna." Duo pointed out, starting to take offense at her tone. "No one has to know if you're that worried about it."

"That's the problem." she said, walking over to a drawer and pulling out a small envelope. "Someone already knows about it."

"A letter?"

"It's not just a letter, Duo." she said solemnly. "Read it." Duo managed to kick his brain into drive long enough to take the letter from her and open it.

His eyes opened in shock as he read the first few lines threatening unspeakable harm to Belladonna unless she distanced herself from Preventor Maxwell. Whomever had wrote out the letter was threatening to beat, maim, and murder Belladonna for _'taking her man_'. They had called Bella a whore, a slut, and a cheap prostitute all in the same sentence.

By the time Duo had finished it, and looked up at Bella, she was sitting at the table, nervously swallowing.

"When did this come?" he asked.

"Last night. I remember seeing it when we came in." she said quietly. "Duo, someone's been watching me, watching us. There's no way anyone would know what we've done in the past few days unless they're watching us. It even mentions when we went to the paintball arena last week!"

"But this is dated three weeks ago." Duo muttered seriously, looking down at the paper again. "Right after we got onto the colony." He glanced over it one more time before folding it up and putting it back in the envelope. "Have you gotten any more letters like this?"

"A few." she said, shaking her head.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded.

"I didn't think there was anything to it." she amended. "I've gotten these before, and nothing's ever come of it. And this is the first one that I've gotten that's mentioned you."

"This is different." Duo said, shaking his head, only to be interrupted by the sound of the doorbell and the slide of the morning newspaper through the mail slot, along with a few envelopes. Bella took the lull in conversation to walk over and pick up the mail, only to shift through the junk mail to find another envelope addressed to her and Duo.

"Another one?" Duo asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Should I open it?" she asked, obviously worried about the contents.

"Let me see it." he said. She handed him the envelope, and Duo opened it, then quickly folded the letter out. Bella couldn't see the words, but the grim line on her newlover's face was enough to make her cringe.

"Duo?"

"Pack some things, Bella." he ordered, folding the letter and placing it back in the envelope. "You're not staying here by yourself anymore. We're leaving, now."

"You can't be serious?" she said, shaking her head. "I've gotten threats before."

"I'm dead serious." he said, sitting the envelope on the table and leading her quickly to her bedroom. "Get some of your things, you're coming with me."

Bella didn't have to be told again. She grabbed a duffle bag and tossed some clothes in it, along with a few toiletries. Duo managed to gather up his scattered clothing and get dressed in record time while juggling his cell phone from one shoulder to the next. He was perversely grateful to be handling some sort of crisis as opposed to dealing with the awkward 'morning after' conversation with Bella. He wasn't sure what to think about what had happened, but now his first priority was getting her somewhere safe. Because if the two letter he had read were anything to go by, this psycho wasn't just targeting them, but her entire family as well. By the time he got his belt buckled, he was off the phone and grabbing Bella's duffle bag.

"Where're we going?" she asked.

"My place." he said. "Whoever is sending these letters know the area well enough to have scouted the area out. We'll catch a cab to Preventor's headquarters, and then to my apartment."

Bella didn't argue, and quickly called up the cab company and told them to be at her apartment complex as soon as possible. By the time they got downstairs, there was a yellow cab waiting on them. Duo gave the guy directions to the Preventor's headquarters, and they were off.

After the quick pit stop at the station, and an even shorter drive to his apartment, Duo opened up the door to his home away from home, only to find things in shambles. Beside him, Belladonna was literally shaking in her boots. Whoever had ransacked the place had painted the words '**_YOU WILL DIE FOR THIS, BELLADONNA' _**on the wall in bright red paint.

"Duo?" she asked, her voice quaking in fright.

"Let's go." he said, backing out of the room and herding her down the hallway towards the elevator as he pulled out his cell phone once again. A few curt words, and Duo had a Preventor jeep waiting pulling up to get them a few minutes later. Bella put her stuff in the back seat while Duo conversed with the man driving. They headed back to the station, and Duo led her into a small office away from the others.

"Duo, what's going on?" she asked while they were waiting on the Preventor captain Duo had requested to speak with. "This has never happened before."

"I'm not exactly sure, love." he said, hugging her tightly. "But we'll find out. I'm going to get on the phone to Heero and Wufei as soon as I get things lined up here, and we get you somewhere safe."

The Preventor captain entered the room, and Duo got straight down to business, telling him what had happened. Half an hour later, Duo had commandeered a Jeep and they were headed to a hotel in the heart of the colony that Preventors often housed witnesses at.

"This place is safe?" Bella asked, glancing around as they walked into the reception area.

"Half the people here are undercover Preventors, love." Duo said quietly as he handed the man behind the counter a note from the Captain of the Preventors. "This is the tightest security on the entire colony." They were quickly led up to a hotel room in the center of the building that had no windows.

Bella threw her bad on the bed and dug out her laptop while Duo exchanged a few words with the bellhop, who she seriously suspected was one of the undercover Preventors. She quickly got online and checked her email, only to find that her inbox had been flooded with messages with the subject '**_YOU WILL DIE FOR THIS, BELLADONNA' _**. Bella was absolutely terrified by now, and she snapped the laptop shut, her breath hard and heavy. Duo came over and hugged her, trying to reassure her that things were going to be okay.

"I need to call Corey and Daniel to see if anything has happened at the company." she said, shaking her head.

"I already did that." Duo said. "Everything is clear down there." Bella nodded and slouched back down against the bed.

"I left Earth so I could get away from this." Bella sighed, burying her head into the pillows."

"I don't know, love." Duo said, stroking her back soothingly. "But we'll find out who's doing this. I've got Heero and Wufei searching out some possible leads right now."

"I though they were on vacation." she said, picking her head up from the pillow to look at him curiously.

"Those two never take a vacation." Duo said with a grimace. "And I'm happy about that right now. If I can't find out something, they will."

"This is crazy!" Belladonna raged. "Every time things start evening out for me, someone has to go and fuck it up! What have I got to do to get these people off my back!" Duo reached down and kissed her forcefully, figuring it was the easiest way to shut her up. She melted into him immediately, and he felt her arms wrap around his neck. Duo lost himself in the sensations that the little woman in his arms was invoking. And somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered thesame feeling from the night before, when they had been toghether for the first time.

He remembered feeling happy with her then, and he wascontent to stay right beside her now,despite the chaos they were in at the moment.

When they broke apart, Bella was biting her lip nervously.

"Duo…"

"I'll take care of it, Belladonna." he reassured her, pushing some of her hair from her eyes. "No one's going to hurt you while I'm here."

"It's not me I'm worried about." she said sadly. "It's you."

"Me?" he asked. "Why me?"

"Something like this happened when I was with Joseph." she said quietly. "The threats, the letters, it's like I'm reliving it all over again, only it's with you instead of him."

"Bella…"

"I don't want anyone else to die because of me." she cried. "Wasn't the life of my son and my fiancée enough? I don't want to lose the best thing that's happened to me since my son died!"

"I'm not going anywhere." Duo said soothingly. He wasn't used to seeing this side of the independent woman he'd grown to respect, and it kind of worried him. His phone gave a sudden shrill, and he picked it up.

"Maxwell." he said curtly, hugging Belladonna closer to him.

…

"You sure about that?"

…

"Are they okay?"

…

"Call me if anything else comes up." Duo hung up the phone, and looked down at her nervously.

"What is it, Duo?" Bella asked, recognizing his expression.

"It seems like you weren't the only one targeted, Bella." Duo said slowly. "Your dad's and step mom's house, and step sister's house were all burglarized last night."

"Are they okay?" she demanded.

"Your step-mom and dad are fine."

"And Marguerite?"

"She's gone missing, Belladonna." Duo said sadly. "They can't find her."

* * *

**A/N** - No, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth. I'm still here. And I'm back to updating again. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. The next one will be up much sooner, I promise.

**A.A.**

Oh, and remember to review. I want to know what you think.

Later.

- No, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth. I'm still here. And I'm back to updating again. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. The next one will be up much sooner, I promise. 


	16. Chapter 16

_**Disclaimer** - It's not mine. Never was_

**_A/N -_** _I'm back with another chapter. Hope you guys are enjoying, but I'm beginning to wonder if I lost some of you back there somewhere. Anyhow, special thanks to **Lady Hime** and **noname** for reviewing. Thanks you two, for taking the time to leave your thoughts_

_

* * *

Duo's Dilemma _

_Chapter 16_

_What the Hell Just Happened?_

* * *

"So there is still no word on where she is at?" Duo asked, leaning back against the wall. 

…

"That's fine. Just give me a call when you find something." He snapped the cell phone shut and frowned. It had been two days since he'd brought Bella to the safe house, and still no word on where her sister was. According to all the Preventors he had talked to, Senator Covington and his wife Rita were fine where they were, but there had not been hide nor hair of Marge. It was almost as if the girl had dropped off the face of the Earth. Duo looked over at Bella, who was on the phone with her company vice president.

"..everything is okay, then?" she asked earnestly.

…

"Well if anything comes up, email me. Duo's confiscated my cell phone incase whoever's threatening me tries to call, but I won't let him touch my computer."

…

"I'll talk to you later. Bye, Daniel." she said, hanging up the phone.

"Everything okay down there?" Duo asked, coming to stand behind her and glance over her shoulder at the screen of her laptop.

"Calm as can be, surprisingly enough." she said. "The worst problem they've had was the time clocks breaking down." Duo shrugged and slid his keys into his pockets. He had some investigating to do, but was reluctant to leave Bella on her own. "Got somewhere to go?"

"I need to head down to the main headquarters and see if I can find out anything else about who broke into my apartment." he said. "You be okay on your own for a few hours?"

"Yeah." she said. "Daniel sent me some reports he wants me to look over that'll keep me busy for a while. Apparently there's a leak in our backup accounts. Someone's been draining my money in the reserve funds."

"I'll be back as soon as I can." he said. "Just don't leave this hotel. It isn't safe for you to be in the streets until we find out more about this mess."

"I'm not going anywhere." she said. "Be careful, Duo."

"Always." he said, giving her a quick kiss before disappearing out of the room.

* * *

Bella spent the next couple of hours immersed in the accounting reports Daniel had sent her. It hadn't taken long to figure out where the money was disappearing to. She'd forgotten to cancel the credit account with her ex-security maintenance director Neil Fleck, and it seemed like the jackass was still using the card to charge exorbant amounts of computer hardware and other things to the account. She sent an urgent message to Daniel to get on the phone with the credit company and stop the use of the card, and to explain what had happened. She knew she wouldn't be reimbursed for the money he'd already managed to spend, but at least she could put a stop to it before he done anymore damage. 

There was a knock at the door that brought her back to reality, and Bella hesitated opening it until she looked through the peephole to find Duo standing on the other side. She unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door, letting him in. He looked like he was exhausted.

"You okay?" she asked when he plopped down onto the bed spread eagle. "Duo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." he said, looking at her from his upside down position. "I've got good news. And bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

"The bad news."

"Your apartment was vandalized last night." Duo grimaced. "The entire place looked worse than your office building and my apartment put together."

"Wonderful." she said. "Although I was expecting it sooner or later, to be honest. At least they haven't hit my house at home, yet. Have they?"

"Not that we know of." Duo shrugged. "Those to demon dogs would probably try to tear anyone apart that stepped foot in that place." Bella just smiled and shrugged. That's what she had raised Mordred and Damian for, and Duo was probably more accurate in that assumption than he realized.

"So what's the good news?" she prompted.

"We found Marguerite."

"What?" she asked, a feeling of utter relief flooding her body at hearing those words. "Where was she at? Is she okay?"

"She was with some friends in a city called Delacroix." he said, shrugging at the odd name.

"Delacroix? I didn't know she had friends in St. Bernard parish." Bella said, frowning. She seemed to throw it off quickly enough though, pouncing on Duo to demand more information. "Have you talked to her? Who found her? Where is she at? Duo, tell me, please!"

"Calm down already." he said, reaching up to pull her down beside him on the bed. Bella struggled to get onto her side and look down at him, waiting pointedly for the answers she wanted. "She's fine. Apparently her cell phone went haywire and no one could get in touch with her. She came back to your dad's place earlier today, and they've got her in a safe place separate from your dad and Rita."

"Can I call her?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure." Duo nodded, yawning. Bella grinned, gave him a quick kiss for thanks and climbed off the bed, heading for the phone. A few seconds later, a quiet ringing was heard through the room, and Duo could hear Marguerite's voice on the other end when Bella sat back down on the bed, switching on the speakerphone.

"Marge?" Bella asked, her voice almost cracking in relief at hearing her step sister's voice. "You okay? Where you at?"

"I'm at my house right now to get some clothes." she said. "Are you okay, Belladonna? Daddy said some psycho was trying to hurt you?"

"I'm fine right now." Bella answered. "I'm safe. What about you?"

"I'm fine. Where are you at? On your way back to Earth?"

"I'm still on the colony. My apartment was ransacked the other day, and the Preventor's put me in a safe house somewhere on the colony. Hell, even I don't know where I'm at!"

"As long as you're okay." she said. "What's going on, Belladonna? Who's doing this?"

"If I told you then we'd both know." Bella said disgustedly. "Look, I can't talk for long. The Preventors don't want me talking to many people incase someone's tracking my calls. I just wanted to make sure things were okay."

"I'm fine. And so are Daddy and Mom." she said. "You should give Daddy a call if you can manage it. He's worried sick."

"I will." Bella said. "Take care, Marge. If something else comes up, call the Preventor headquarters in the city and ask to speak to Captain Asher. He'll know how to get in touch with me, okay?"

"Will do." Marge said. "Take care, Bella."

"You too, Marge." Bella shut the phone and heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear from her. At least now I know everything is okay." She looked over at Duo, who had an utterly confused look on his face. "What?"

"I thought you and your sister didn't get along?" he asked.

"We don't." Bella said with a shrug. "But I don't want these idiots that are chasing me to hurt her, either. There's no point in tangling her up in this mess."

"Still, it's odd to hear the two of you have a conversation without insults being hurled." he pointed out.

"Yeah, well, you never know what's going to happen with us." she said, rubbing her stomach when it grumbled loudly. Duo smirked.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah, a little." she said. "Let's go get something to eat, huh?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." he answered. "I can't have you starving with me on watch, now can I?" Bella nodded and grabbed a jacket from her duffle bag, quickly slipping on her shoes before leaving the room with Duo.

* * *

Bella woke up the next morning to the harsh ringing of her cell phone that was sitting on the bedside stand. She blindly reached for it, absently checking the number before answering it. 

"Bella." she said groggily, seeing that Duo was already up and gone, leaving her a note next to the bed.

_**Gone to check on some things. Figured I'd let you have some rest. You earned it. ;) Be back soon. DM **_

Bella's face blushed scarlet at his reminder of their nighttime activities. Hell, she'd just gotten to sleep two hours ago! Unfortunately, she was quickly dragged back to reality when her sister's icy voice broke through her fond memories.

"Where the fuck are you, Belladonna?" Bella sat straight up in the bed and blinked a few times.

"Marge?" she asked uncertainly. "What's wrong? Why are you calling…"

"You and your god damned antics is why I'm calling." Marge said, her voice breaking. "You and your selfishness."

"What are you talking about, Marge?" she demanded coldly.

"I take it you haven't watched the news this morning, wherever the hell you are, have you?"

"No." she said. "You just woke me up. It's barely four in the morning here."

"Turn on the television to the news channel." Marguerite growled angrily. Bella groped for the remote to the TV, flipping it to the world news channel that focused on her hometown and the surrounding area. Right along the bottom there was a bulletin running across the screen.

_…Senator Kenneth Covington of New Orleans, Louisiana killed in car accident this morning, along with his wife Rita Covington. Police suspect foul play, and are currently in search of anyone who may have any information pertaining to this morning's accident along highway…_

Bella felt herself go absolutely limp, and a cold knot settle into her stomach as she continued to read the bulletin.

"Marge, please tell me this is some sort of sick joke." she pleaded quietly a few moments later when her ability to speak returned and her mind actually processed what she was reading on the television screen. "Marge, talk to me."

"There's nothing else to say, Belladonna." Marge's cold voice rang. "I hope you're fucking happy."

"Happy?" she asked angrily. "My father was murdered! Why the hell would I be happy?"

"If you would have just listened." she answered.

"To who?" Bella demanded, getting to her feet and pacing around the room after switching the call onto a speakerphone, completely missing the fact that Duo had entered into the room. "Who the hell have you been talking to, Marguerite?"

"I know about the letters, Belladonna." Marguerite hissed. "I got one this morning, right before I got the call to come identify the bodies! It said they died because you wouldn't listen, wouldn't leave your newest fuck buddy alone! I hope a piece of Maxwell's ass was a fair trade for our parent's lives! How could you do this? How could you let this happen?"

"What's going on, Belladonna?" Duo asked quickly. He'd caught the end of the bulletin on the television, and managed to hear enough of her conversation with her sister to know that trouble was brewing.

"He's with you now, isn't he?" Marguerite demanded, apparently recognizing Duo's voice. "Our parents are dead, and you're shacked up with the reason their gone! I hope your fucking happy, you little slut!"

"Marge.." Bella said, shaking her head. "I didn't…."

"Don't even start." Marguerite snarled. "You've caused enough trouble as it is, and you can't fix it this time." The next sound that penetrated the room was the doorbell ringing and the monotone of the dial tone on the speakerphone. Bella reached over and hit the button to hand up the phone, her hands absolutely numb, and her mind in a complete haze. Duo answered the door, finding that there was a letter for Belladonna. He took the innocent looking envelope from the bellhop and stuffed it in his pocket without even reading it.

"Bella?" he asked, turning his attention to the shocked silent woman sitting in the room. "Belladonna?"

"They're gone." she muttered quietly, her eyes wide in absolute fear and sadness. She looked up at Duo with a dead expression on her face, and then down at the floor as the tears started to flow. "They're dead. Someone killed my dad and Rita."

"Bella…" Duo said, catching her when she hunched over and started to sob uncontrollably. He didn't know what to do or say, so he just held her, letting her soak his shirt with the hot tears that were pouring like a waterfall.

He'd left earlier this morning to go check if the Preventors had gathered any possible leads as to who had managed to break into their apartments. The only lead they'd been able to find was a witness saying that she saw a short, brown haired man leaving Bella's complex right after they had left. And another witness had gave the same description of a guy who had been hanging around Duo's place the day before.

A half hour later, Bella finally managed to get her sobs under control enough for Duo to let her go and sit her on the bed. He grabbed a bottle of soda out of the little mini-fridge and poured it into a glass along with a dose of some sort of alcohol he'd found in the room earlier that morning when he'd been searching for his shirt. It wasn't hardly enough to get her drunk or even tipsy, but it would help calm her nerves down a little bit while he tried to figure out what the hell had happened during the night.

"Drink this." he said, handing her the tumbler. "It'll help you calm down." Bella absently took the alcohol laced soda and downed it in one gulp, setting the glass to the side.

"Duo, what the hell happened?" she asked, her voice now devoid of any sort of emotion, much like the look on her face.

"I'm not sure, love." Duo said. "But I'm going to find out." Bella just nodded and looked at the wall vacantly, apparently too caught up in the shock of finding out her father was dead to notice anything else around her. Duo was beginning to wonder if this news was going to drive her insane, much like the news of Mr. Winner had thrown Quatre into a rage during the war.

He grabbed his cell phone and hit the speed dial button to the two people he figured could help him out more than anyone else at the moment. The phone only rang three times before a voice at the other end of the line picked up.

Yuy."

It's Duo, man." the ex-Deathscythe pilot said, running his free hand through his hair in a nervous gesture that he'd picked up as a child. "I've got a problem. Is Wufei there with you?"

"He's here. You've got a problem alright." Heero's said.

"What?" Duo asked, causing Bella to look over at him. He shook his head and waved it off, not wanting her to get even more upset than she already was. He moved towards the small balcony that was attached to the room, making sure the sliding glass door was securely shut before continuing the conversation with Heero. "What happened?"

"Your girlfriend's company building was broken into last night." he said. "Relena's had me tracking down information all morning."

"What happened?"

"Bomb."

"What!"

"The entire building was leveled to the ground."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"No. Everyone was gone for the night."

"This is not good. Not good at all." Duo groaned, leaning back against the wall and blinking a few times.

"That's not all, either." Wufei's voice cut in. "The report that was sent to us said that the brake lines on the Covington's car was sliced cleanly. This was no accident; it was murder."

"Any suspects?" Duo asked.

"A whole list, and each one as unlikely as the next." Wufei said.

"Your best bet would be to get in touch with the captain at the New Orleans branch." Heero said. "They're the ones handling this case. Most of our information is second hand."

"I'll get on it." Duo said. "Thanks, guys."

"Hn."

"Goodbye, Maxwell."

Duo shut the cell phone and pocketed it, wondering if he should tell Bella what happened to her company building. He glanced into the room, finding her on the phone with someone. Duo walked in and picked up the conversation she was having, apparently reserving a seat on the next shuttle back to Earth.

"So I have reservation confirmation for one seat on shuttle LX-9484, destination New Orleans, Louisiana?" the man on the other end asked. "Is this correct, Ms. Saucier?"

"Yes." she answered curtly, throwing her clothes into the duffle bag haphazardly.

"Very well. The departure time will be at noon tomorrow from the L3 main space port." he said. "If you would hold for a few minutes, I will give you the confirmation numbers."

"That's fine." Bella said, completely distracted. A sound of cheesy elevator music came over the line as the guy put her on hold to wait for the confirmation numbers, but she paid it no attention.

"You heading back without me?" Duo asked pointedly, his arms crossed on his chest.

"Yes." she said. "I've got to get home as soon as possible. There's a million things I need to take care of right now, and I can't do it from space."

"You can't go by yourself. It's not safe." Duo said. "You're liable to be targeted and killed!"

"I'm going home." she said firmly, looking him right in the eye and daring him to question her.

"Then I'm going with you." he said stubbornly.

"No, you're not." Bella countered quickly.

"Like hell I'm not!" Duo exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders to stop her frantic moving about. "I didn't bring you here to keep you safe just so you could go running back into the firing squad!"

"I'm tired of everyone I care about winding up dead because of me." Bella said stubbornly, tears threatening to pour out again. "If you come with me, you're liable to be the one they target. I don't want that, Duo." She seemed to collapse from exhaustion right then and there, and Duo gathered her in his arms, sitting down on the bed and holding her as another wave of tears poured out.

"It's okay. We'll take care of this." he said calmly.

"I'm tired of having all this blood on my hands." she said in between hiccups. "All these people have died because of me! First it was Joseph and Gaylan, then Phillip and then Rita! Now it's my dad! I'm sick of it!"

"There is no blood on your hands, Bella." he said firmly. "You didn't kill them. And it's not your fault your dad and Rita are dead, so quit blaming yourself." Bella just curled up into a ball and continued to sob uncontrollably. Duo held her until she seemed to cry herself dry, and put her on the bed.

"You need to get some rest." he said. "We're going to have a rough few days."

"You're leaving?" she asked, sounding like some scared child.

"I need to see what else I can find about what happened." he said.

"Do you have to leave right now?" she asked. Duo shook his head and pulled his jacket off, lying down beside her and enveloping her in his arms. She was a wreck right now, and needed someone beside her, he could tell that much. Bella snuggled down into the embrace and buried her head in his shoulder.

"What am I gonna do, Duo?" she muttered brokenly, hugging him tightly, almost like she was afraid he was going to disappear.

"We'll make it, love." he said. "Don't worry too much about it. What's done is done, and we can't change it. But I promise you I'll find out who did this to you." That seemed to offer her some sort of condolence, and Bella relaxed a little. Duo just continued to hold onto her long after she stilled, trying to figure out how the hell he was going to fix this problem.

* * *

**A/N -** Hey, hope I haven't lost anyone else. This story is going to be wrapped up in the next two or three chapters, so just hang in there with me.

Until next time,

A.A.

And remember to review. I want to know what you think


	17. Chapter 17

**_Disclaimer_** _- It's not mine.Never was. The only characters I own are the ones not originally present in the Gundam Wing anime or manga. No money is being made from this work of fiction. In other words, don't sue me because you're not going to get anything!_

* * *

_Duo's Dilemma_

_Chapter 17_

_Aftermath_

* * *

The next few days were a complete blur to Belladonna. Her arrival back on Earth had been chaotic, reporters crowding around her the second she stepped foot off the shuttle, all questioning her about her father's accident. She had nothing to say to any of them. Hell, she could barely think clearly through the haze of grief and guilt that had settled in her mind. Had it not been for Duo's solid presence at her side, as well as support from Preventor Asher and his men, Bella was positively sure she would have found some hole to crawl up and die in. 

Of course, it was no help at all when she finally faced down a steel faced Marguerite. Bella had known she would not get a warm welcome from her sister, especially considering she believed Bella was the reason their father was dead; but the absolute looks of fierce hatred and utter loathing she was getting did not help to put her mind at ease. And Duo's presence, grateful she was for it, was not helping her already strained relationship with her sister.

Few words were shared between them as the pre-made arrangements were smoothed out and gone over by the funeral director, and none were spoken as they left the funeral home, each one to go their own way.

The next time Bella laid eyes on her sister was a day later when she once again entered the funeral home on the day of her father and stepmother's wake and burial. But once again, Marguerite remained cold and aloof, which was not any different that before.

They were given some private time to view the bodies before the scheduled visitation time began for friends, and Bella's anger to her sister's cold demeanor only hardened when nare a tear fell from the younger woman's eyes. Instead, cold contempt filled Marguerite's face, almost as if her parent's death was no big deal.

The wake was only a few hours long, but more and more people streamed in through the glass doors, coming to pay their last respects to the well known husband and wife. Bella swore she was floating in some cloud of haze, like she was on the outside of a bad dream looking in, the entire time. She saw them, but didn't see them at the same time. She heard their words, but they didn't really register in her mind.

Politicians, businessmen, Preventors, and family friends offered their condolences to her and Marguerite, but she could only nod numbly at them, not sure of how to respond or react. But she held up, she persevered through it all…until they were standing at the family burial plot that evening, and the two caskets were being lowered into the ground.

Then she broke.

Her tears came pouring out like a dam that had burst open, freeing the pent up forces behind it. She sobbed so hard she couldn't stand, only keep seated in the chairs that had been set aside especially for the immediate family of the deceased.

Warm hands gripped her shoulders and she looked up to see Duo's somber face looking down into her own.

"What have I done?" she muttered, her voice wavering. "Duo, what have I done?"

"This isn't your fault, love." he said, trying to sooth her so much as he possibly could.

"But it is! First it was my fiancée and son. Now it's my father! Why don't they just take me away from this!" she wailed. "I can't take this anymore!" Duo done the only thing he could possibly think of to comfort her when it seemed she was going to hyperventilate because of the sobs.

He held her.

As tight as he possibly could.

* * *

When it was over, and Bella and Duo found themselves at her home on the other side of town, he heaved a sigh of relief. It was hard enough to deal with an upset Belladonna, but coupled with the constant annoyance of the ever present paparazzi, his thinly veiled patience was near it's end. After shutting the door in the face of one particularly persistent reporter, he moved into the kitchen where Bella was making some tea to calm her nerves. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him and giving her a kiss on her forehead. He knew she was still hurting, and still feeling lost in an expansive sea of grief and self induced guilt, but he needed to get her head above water before she drowned. 

It was weird with her. When he had been dating Hilde, or any other girl, he had never felt as strongly about them as he did her. Sure, he chalked it up to the physical attraction that had been present ever since they met. But the more he got to know her, the more sides of her he saw, he felt himself falling deeper and deeper into something he never felt with Hilde.

Love.

He was in love with Belladonna; and surprisingly he could admit that without feeling awkward. He saw what she was going through, and could relate to her. He'd faced his own demons after the Maxwell church fire, and the subsequent deaths of Sister Helen and Father Maxwell. For the longest time, Duo had believed that if he had only acted a little more quickly, he could have prevented that disaster. But as time went along, he had come to understand that nothing he done would have changed what had happened.

Now he just needed Belladonna to realize that nothing she could have done would have stopped those people from murdering her father and stepmother.

"Feeling a little better?" he questioned, slowly rocking her from side to side as they watched steam rise up from the boiling water. "Bella?"

"It hurts, Duo." she muttered sadly. "I feel like I'm breaking apart. How could this have happened to them?"

"I don't know, Bella, but we will find out who is responsible for it." Duo said. "I've already talked to Preventor Asher, and he assured me of the formation of a specific team of specialists who will be looking into this immediately."

"That's good." she said, pouring the steaming water into the cup to let the teabag steep for a few minutes. "I just wish Marge would talk to me about this. She hasn't said a dozen words to me since I got back to Earth."

"I don't know what to tell you about that." Duo said. And it was the truth, he really didn't. Marge's attitude had only gotten worse as time went on. She refused to even look at her sister from across the room, let alone speak with her. Duo didn't understand it, and he knew Bella didn't, but there was nothing he could do about it. It's not like he could force Marge to speak civilly to Belladonna. "You look tired, lover. You need some rest."

"I don't know if I could sleep." she answered, sipping the tea slowly. "My mind is a mess. And I still need to feed the dogs."

"You just need some sleep." he said reassuringly, letting her finish the cup of tea before leading her towards her bedroom. He'd take care of the two hounds from hell later. Right now Bella was the one that needed his attention, not two rottweilers who he swore were spoon fed steroids at birth.

* * *

Things were quiet for the next few days, and Duo took most of the credit for it being that way. The paparazzi was still buzzing for answers from her, especially after Marguerite gave an interview and all but accused Bella of being the reason for their deaths. Oh, the younger girl didn't just come out and say it, but a few subtle hints she dropped could be misconstrued and blown way out of proportion by the broadcasters. 

And to make matters worse, the story of Bella's romance with the now deceased Preventor Joseph Gaylan had leaked to the press through 'unnamed sources'. Questions were being thrown up to everyone in her corporate building, even the subcontractors who worked for her. Luckily, ninety percent of them said nothing that would incriminate her, simply because they didn't know anything about it. And the few who admitted to knowing about it said that it was no one else's business what Bella did on her personal time. Duo strongly suspected that Marge had been the one to 'leak' the story to the press, but had not brought the subject up with her yet. He knew that her reputation was being put through the ringer, as was her good name within the city and her circle of friends and coworkers, and he tried to buffer what he could of it.

Fortunately, after one particularly cut-throat reporter tried to pin down not only Bella's secretary Gracie, but her vice president Daniel Marks and the tech specialist Corey Schiro, for some kind of story, things seemed to calm down. He never heard the entire story, but Bella told him that after Gracie and Corey finished with him, Daniel didn't even have to call security to get rid of the reporter. And all Duo could squeeze out of her was something to do with Gracie, Corey, a stapler, and a roll of masking tape. It didn't make sense to him in the least, but he knew that angry women could get creative and turn any everyday item into an instrument of torture if provoked. As a result, he didn't ask anymore questions about it.

Another good thing was that Bella stayed at home most of the time, working with him on half a dozen different little projects she'd been needing to do to fix the house up; and only going out to the store when they were down to the last can of tuna fish and final two slices of bread. She would work on the paperwork sent to her from her company vice president sometimes, but other than that they did nothing more than lounge around the house enjoying each other's company.

The hurt of losing her father and step-mother was still aching inside of her, and she still would sometimes fall into an uncontrollable sob of tears, but Duo was usually there at her side within seconds, reassuring her that it would be alright and that things would even out. She seemed completely fine as long as she was busy and her mind was focused on something else. But the minute she found herself without something to do, it hit her full force what had happened, and she would break into tears again.

She eventually told him that she found it ironic that the man who was responsible for killing her mother was the one comforting her after the death of her father.

Duo just called Lady Fate a bitch.

* * *

Unfortunately, their quiet days were about to be severely upset, and it all started with one innocent phone call from her father's lawyer about a week and a half after she had finally laid her father to rest. They were working on a simple dinner of spaghetti and garlic bread when the phone next to the doorway rang. He was in the process of throwing uncooked spaghetti at her in retaliation for her throwing a rotten tomato at him, but stopped when he saw her face go from smiling to serious. 

"Belladonna." she said, pushing the button for the speakerphone, and silently waving at Duo not to let the pasta boil over onto the stove.

"Bella. It's Jonathan Artigues." the voice said. "How are you?"

"I'm alive, Jon." Bella said, leaning up against the counter. "You?"

"I'm okay." he said. "Look, I know you don't want to deal with this right now, darlin', but I pulled your father's and stepmother's will out this morning. You are named in it, as you know, and I was wondering when it would be a good time to set up a meeting with you and Marguerite to finalize the paperwork."

"Jon, the last thing on my mind right now is daddy's will." Bella said crisply, her good mood suddenly going sour.

"I know, darlin'." he said sympathetically. "But it needs to be finished up."

"When's the earliest you can set up an appointment for the reading?" Bella asked.

"Tuesday, at six in the evening." he said. "I know it's late, but I'm leaving out on a trip to Italy for a conference the day after. And I'd like to get this cleared up before I leave because I don't exactly trust my intern to handle it himself."

"Fine. Have you already talked to Marguerite?"

"Not yet." he said. "I figured it would make more sense to call you first."

"I appreciate the thought." Bella said. "I'll be there. If only to get it over with."

"I understand." he said calmly. "Call me if you need anything before then."

"I will." she said. "Thanks, Jonathan."

"Anything for you, Bella. Bye."

"Goodbye." she said, shutting the phone off and turning to where Duo was drinking a class of water.

"Friend?" he asked.

"Family lawyer." she said with a shrug. "Apparently they're in a hurry to have my dad's will read." Duo was about to comment on their lack of good timing when his cell phone rang. He flipped it open and stuck it to his ear.

"Maxwell."

….

"What? Since when?" he asked curtly. Bella looked over at her lover, wondering what had gotten him in such a foul mood so quickly.

….

"Now?"

….

"Shit. Put me through to Colonel Une."

….

"She took the day off?" Duo asked, pulling the phone away from his ear and looking at it like it was a talking another language. "Une never takes a day off!"

"Fine. Fine." he said. "I'll be there." He shut the phone and slid it into his pocket, glaring at it apparently in hopes that it would explode into a million little bits of circuits and fried wires.

"Problems?" Bella asked cautiously.

"Une wants me back in Brussels." he said with a frown.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

"This is awfully abrupt. I thought you were on a leave of absence?" she asked, sitting a plate of food in front of him.

"I thought I was, too." he said, frowning. "I don't like it."

"Why not?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"Une wouldn't call us back for no reason."

"This must be important then." Bella reasoned.

"I still don't like leaving you alone. It's too soon after your dad's accident."

"I can get one of the other Preventors to stay around if it'll make you feel better." Bella offered, even though she hated to see him forced back to work so soon.

"I'd rather do it myself."

"Duo, don't be stubborn." she said soothingly. "You knew this was going to happen eventually. You can't stay with me all the time."

"I can still put in for a transfer when I get back." he said. "Then I'd like to see you get rid of me."

"You'd transfer all the way over here?" she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes. They hadn't really talked about what would happen when he was forced to go back to work in Europe, but it seemed like he already had his mind made up about the subject.

"Yep." he answered with a nod.

"But…"

"No buts."

"Duo."

"What?"

"Quit being stubborn." she repeated. "And you're starting to remind me of Mr. Yuy and his single-mindedness when watching over Relena."

"I'm am not." he pouted theatrically, crossing his arms like a child for emphasis. Bella smiled and shook her head at him.

"We'll worry about that later." she said. "Now, when do you have to leave out? In the morning?"

"Yeah, there's a ticket waiting for me at the airport." he said, hugging her gently. "You going to be okay for a few days?"

"I'll call Preventor Asher right now and arrange some security." she said. "He'd do that if he knew you were leaving anyway."

"I like the way this guy thinks." Duo said, grinning as she picked the phone up, dialed the number, and was quickly put through to her friend. The arrangements were made, and she was off the phone in ten minutes, joining him at the kitchen table to eat dinner.

_'At least she'll have someone around her while I'm gone.' _Duo thought as they started dinner. It made him feel better knowing that she would have the old Preventor with her. The man loved her as if she was his own daughter. Then again, given that Bella was once engaged to the man's son, it was a possibility that was where the loyalty to her came from. But whatever it was, he was immensely grateful for it. That man would rather die than see something happen to her.

So, with her safety securely taken care of, and the dinner dishes in the sink to soak, Duo made plans to make his last night with Belladonna memorable enough to last until they could be back together again.

* * *

_**A/N** - No, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth. I'm still here, and still in the process of recovering from hurricane Katrina. Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter, short though it was. The next one will be up much sooner, I promise._

_**A.A.**_

_Oh, and remember to review. I want to know what you think._

_Later._


	18. Chapter 18

_**Disclaimer** - Duo is not mine, although I wish he was. I don't own Gundam Wing, or any of it's characters. No money is being made, so there really is no point in trying to sue me._

_**A/N - **Hello to everyone out there. I am glad that many of you have decided to stick around with me for the end of this little story. Thanks for your continued support._

* * *

_Duo's Dilemma_

_Chapter 18_

_Organized Chaos_

* * *

Bella frowned as she walked into Mr. Artigues' office a few days later, taking a seat directly across from her sister at the conference table. She was early, by at least twenty minutes, and had hoped that to beat her younger sibling. So much for that idea. 

She had left the Preventors assigned to protect her right outside the door, telling them she would only be a half hour at the most.

"Let's get this over with." she said crisply, sitting her briefcase on the table and folding her hands in her lap primly. The attorney cleared his throat and pulled a manila folder of papers from a drawer near him.

"Your father's will is quite clear and concise about where his assets were to be distributed after his passing, as well as your mother's. To keep things simple, his and your mother's wills were put on a disk." he said, nodding towards the warring siblings. Belladonna refused to make eye contact with Marguerite, which was fine with her. She had nothing to say to the witch anyhow. Mr. Artigues pulled a small disk out of the folder and popped it into the vid-cam along the wall.

The screen flickered for a few times before it was filled with the kind face of Kenneth Covington. Bella felt her throat tighten up and tears begin to fill her eyes at the sight of such a welcomingly familiar face.

"If you are watching this, then I am sorry to say that my passing has finally come to pass." he said somberly. "I will come right to the point, as there is no need to drag out something like this. My assets are to be equally divided amongst my two daughters, Belladonna and Marguerite.

To Marguerite, I leave you the plantation home outside the city, as well as all the furnishings within it. The land will be changed over into your name just as soon as you are issued a death certificate for myself. Also, there are a number of insurance policies that I have taken out some years ago. You, Marguerite, are to receive half of that money, to do with as you please. It will be more than enough to allow you to live comfortably for many years to come. Also, there are some stocks within my portfolio that are to be transferred to your own upon my death. Most of it is invested in ore operations within the Pacific Ocean, and a few other minor operations that I had my hands in. Mr. Artigues and my accountant will see to the transfer personally.

Although I know the money will be welcomed, my greatest regret is that I will not be there to see you one day fill your childhood home with children of your own.

I love you, Marguerite, and I wish you the best of luck in life. Please remember that your mother and I are proud of everything you have, and will, accomplish. Take care, and remember that you will always be with us in our hearts."

Belladonna chanced a look over at her sister, who seemed utterly complacent about the whole thing. Her sister's dark eyes were narrowed down into angry slits, and Belladonna fought the urge to reach out and strangle her in order to get some kind of reaction out of her.

"And to Belladonna, my first love, I leave to you the summer home in Europe. As well as half the insurance settlements. Also, the stock investments in Saucier Corp. will be transferred over to you upon my death.

Bella, I am sorry to leave you alone to face the world in such a state it is in. I can only hope that you, as well as Marguerite, will one day find someone with whom you can spend you lives with, and be happy. As I said to Marguerite, I can not be there to see you live out your life, but I can make sure you are securely taken care of.

I love both of you dearly, and hope that one day you can eventually put aside whatever differences it is that has drawn such a line between you two in the past years. Always remember that you are family, and that family is more precious than anything else you could possibly hold in your hand.

Until I see you again, my beautiful daughters, goodbye. And good luck."

Bella sat back in her chair, taking a few deep breaths to slow her beating heart. It just seemed so wrong to her, sitting here and listening to her father dole out his life's work. Granted, it was his final gift to them, but it just made her feel so….cheap. Talking about money and material things less than a week and a half after his death.

"Mrs. Covington also has a message to the both of you." Mr. Artigues said, pulling another disk from it's safety packet and popping it into the vid-cam. A few seconds later, Rita Covington's somber face filled the screen, and Belladonna finally saw some flicker of emotion in her younger sibling's cold brown eyes. Bella saw her tilt her head back slightly, apparently hoping to staunch the small teardrops that were starting to form.

"My daughters, I am sorry to say that the only reason you would be watching this is because I am dead." she said matter of factly. "There's no getting around it, but unfortunately it seems that my time was up, and since you are watching this particular recording, I am to assume that Kenneth is no longer with you either.

As such, I have a few things that I would like to pass on to the both of you. To Marguerite, my heart and soul in this world, I leave the majority of my life insurance policies. Since our home is under your father's name, and is going to you anyway, I need not mention it. To Belladonna, someone who I love like my own daughter. The remaining sum of the insurance money is to go to you. Kenneth's accountant will handle the final sums for you both, as it changes with the interest rates from year to year.

I am so sorry for leaving you both in this state of affairs. I know not what has caused our demise, nor the consequences that surround whatever led up to it, but know for sure that you are both always in my heart. I love you both dearly, and sincerely wish that we were there to help you through this trial.

So, until the next time we may see each other, take care my children. Watch out for each other, and please try to find peace within your own hearts. I love you both. Goodbye, my darlings."

With that final goodbye, the screen flickered twice, and went off. Artigues left his seat and retrieved the disk, sliding it into the case.

"There is some paperwork you need to sign, ladies." he said, handing each of them a slightly thick stack of papers. "And this meeting will be concluded."

"What is this?" Bella asked, skimming the first page quickly.

"A transcript of the videos, and a copy of the original will they had wrote up." he explained. "There's also a form in there if you wish to contest what was left to you, for whatever reasons."

Bella took a few minutes to look over the forms, and finding nothing out of the ordinary, signed off on it. She wasn't going to fight with Marguerite over what had been left to them. She had no reason to. She just wanted to get the hell out of that building.

"Is there anything else we need to sign off on?" Marguerite asked, turning to the attorney.

"Just the transfer and liquidation clause." he said, gathering up the copies of the will transcript.

"The what?" Belladonna asked, looking at the two of them like they were speaking a different language. She'd missed that somewhere along the line.

"A clause that states should one of you pass on before the other, all assets inherited from him that are not invested will be liquidated and transferred to the other. It was in the paperwork you just signed, didn't you see it?"

"No, I must have passed over it, sorry." Bella said. "What are the stipulations of that clause? Do you have a copy of that agreement I can read over?"

"There are a few stipulations that can stop the liquidation and transfer. I can't recall all of them off hand, but Marie has a copy in her desk." Mr. Artigues said, referring to his secretary and rising from his seat. "If you will give me a moment, I will retrieve it for you to look over and sign."

"Thank you, Jonathan."

"Of course, Ms. Belladonna." he said, nodding to them as he exited the room.

"Why so concerned about the liquidation clause, sister?" Marguerite asked, cutting her gaze over to the other occupant in the room. "You don't think I'd try to steal something from you, do you?"

"I'm not precisely sure what you would do anymore, sister." she said, putting a venomous emphasis on the familial title. Marguerite just laughed and shook her head, reaching down to pick her purse up. Belladonna ignored her and shuffled through the paperwork Mr. Artigues had given her. She skimmed over the topics, looking for any fine print that she had missed, or that Jonathan had neglected to mention.

'_Of all the things I didn't want to do on a night like this.' _she thought glumly, her thoughts turning instead to Duo. '_I wonder what he's doing right now? Probably getting his orders from Colonel Une.'_

"Lost in thought, sister?" Marguerite asked suddenly, causing Bella's concentration to waiver from the task at hand. She looked up at her sister, and blanched white at what Marguerite had in her hands. The younger woman had a gun in her hands, cocked and ready to shoot.

"Marguerite, what the hell is going on?" Bella asked, coming to her feet and flickering her gaze between her stepsister and the lawyer who had just stepped back into the room. "Have you lost your damned mind?"

"It's quite simple, sister." she said casually, attaching a silencer onto the barrel of the pistol. "I am taking control of the family name."

"And controlling the family name means pointing pistol at me?" she questioned, standing up and taking a few steps backwards to put a little more space between them, not that it would do any good.

"More than just pointing I am afraid." Jonathan said, quickly shuffling the papers at the end of the table and then returning them to the manila folder he had taken them out of earlier. Bella looked over at him and frowned.

"What's going on, Artigues?" she demanded angrily. This was caring the living daylights out of her.

What were these two trying to pull?

"It is simple really." he answered. "Taking care of business."

"Business?" Bella asked. "And what type of business exactly are you running that causes my sister to hold me at gunpoint? And even worse, for you to go along with it!"

"We are finishing up what I started a long time ago." Marguerite said. "Jonathan, go make sure we have the paperwork we need. I'll finish up here and meet you in a few minutes."

"Will do." he said, securing the latches on his briefcase.

"You can't do this, Artigues, these rooms are monitored with cameras." Belladonna said, trying to buy herself sometime to think up someway to get out of this mess.

"That we have cut off." Artigues said. "We took care of the security cameras earlier today."

"What in God's holy name do you want with me?" Bella ordered angrily. She scanned the room for some possible way to get out, but the door was on the other side of the room, and she couldn't jump out a window from three stories up.Belladonna swallowed the lump in her throat.

She was trapped.

"Just what is rightfully mine." Marguerite said, watching as Artigues slipped out the door once again.

"Excuse me?" she demanded. "What is it exactly that I have taken from you, Marguerite? What have I done for you to hate me this bad?"

"What have you taken?" Marguerite asked. "What have you taken? Everything! You always done everything better than me. You even had to take away the one man I ever really loved!"

"I wasn't the one who had Phillip killed." Belladonna countered. "I believe you had more to do with that than I did."

"So you did figure it out." she said. "I thought you had, but I was never sure. I just wish that thug would have had a better aim and took you out with him."

"I had my suspicions, but no viable proof beyond your drunken mutterings." Bella said. She probably shouldn't have been arguing withthe crazy woman pointing a gun at her. But if she had to die, she was going to at least get a chance to tell Marguerite off one last time. The bitch deserved that much at least. "You loved that man, and he loved you more than anything! Why, Marguerite? Why'd you have him killed."

"Because of you."

"I didn't…"

"You may not have, but you gave all indications that you were running around with him behind my back! What was I supposed to think? The late night calls, the slipping around at all hours of the day and night?" she demanded.

"You were wrong then, and you're wrong now." Bella said. "I wasn't doing anything with Phillip. Contrary to what you may think, I never went out to hurt you on purpose…for any reason."

"You may never have intended it, but you did." she said angrily. "Always one to get in the way, aren't you, Belladonna? Always taking what I wanted. What was rightfully mine!"

"Marguerite, you're not making any sense." Bella pleaded, backing away more as she drew closer with each step she took.

"Oh, I'm making plenty of sense." she countered. "First it was Phillip, and then it was daddy. He always did like you best. You, the accidental result of one pathetic night of adulterous passion with a woman he was never legally married to! And I, his own daughter, was forced into the shadows."

"Marge, you've lost it, girl. Get a hold of yourself. What good is killing me going to do?"

"It will make me feel better to know you are no longer on this planet to torment me." Marguerite said. "And no one is here to save you this time. Not even your precious Duo Maxwell."

"Let's leave him out of this, Marge." Bella pleaded. "He's got nothing to do with it."

"He's got everything to do with this!" Marguerite barked. "I told you to listen, to leave him to me. But would you listen? Of course not!"

"Marge.. You don't mean…" Bella said, frowning as it all clicked together in her mind.

"Yes." she hissed. "It was me. I'm the one who hired Fleck to ransack your office after your fired him and forgot to change the building locks. I'm the one who hired the drivers to shoot up the house to try and scare Maxwell off."

"And our apartments on the colony?"

"Me as well. I got in touch with a young woman who he had dated….I can't remember what her name was but she was more than eager to assist me in wrecking the places…after a little persuasion."

"And you're the one who told the tabloids about Joseph…and that I'd chosen Duo over my family despite repeated warnings."

"Correct." Marguerite said, nodding. "You're catching on quickly, sister."

"And our father? Your mother?" Bella asked, shaking her head in disbelief at what she was hearing. "You wouldn't…not them…" But the look of cool satisfaction on Marguerite's face told all. Bella wanted to wretch. She had almost convinced herself it was some heartless terrorists or political opponents who had been responsible for her father's and stepmother's deaths.

Not their own daughter!

"It was an unfortunate accident, what happened." she said coolly. "Who would have guessed the mechanic would accidentally slice the brake lines in half?"

"A mechanic you recommended, no doubt." Bella accused. "How could you? How could you stand there and tell me this without blinking an eye."

"It becomes easy with time." she said. "Not that it matters anyway. You're not walking out of here alive." The door behind them clicked open and Bella chanced a look over her shoulder to see Artigues slip back into the room once more.

"Is everything ready, Jon?" Marguerite asked briskly.

"Waiting on you. Let's get a move on." he said. "I took care of the three Preventors waiting for her outside." Bella felt her heart fall somewhere into the vicinity of her feet when she heard him say that. Surely he hadn't hurt Preventor Asher and the other two men that had been keeping watch over her for the past few days since Duo had left to go back to Europe. "I'm sure you understand, Bella. It's all business, nothing more."

"And what exactly are you getting out of this, Artigues?" Bella asked coldly. She never had liked trusting lawyers. They were always out to better themselves as opposed to really helping anybody.

And this just made her opinion of them fall even further into the garbage disposal.

"He's getting a nice cut of the profits." Marguerite said. "Enough to buy his silence."

"Do you honestly think she won't turn right around and do this to you, Jonathan?" Bella asked, trying to plead with the man she had trusted up until a few minutes ago. "Johnathan…think about this. People know I'm here. The appointments on the books for God's sake!"

"The real appointment was set up for Thursday morning, love." he said. "The cops won't find you until in the morning, and I have assurances that you will simply be labeled as breaking and entering in order to alter the will's contents."

"You don't honestly think that's going to work, do you?" Bella asked.

"It doesn't matter if it doesn't." Marguerite said, clicking the safety off the gun and taking aim. "By the time they find you, the two of us will be safely out of the country, en route to Switzerland. And after I present the transfer and liquidation papers to the judge, every bit of your money is going to be mine."

"Marge...you don't want to do this…"

"Sorry, but yes, I do." she said, cocking the gun. "Goodbye, sister. It was nice knowing you." Bella shut her eyes, waiting for the shot to sound, only to hear nothing but the sound of breaking glass and yelp of her sister.

A sudden sharp pain in her shoulder caused Bella to cry out in pain, dropping down. She could feel the shards of glass dig into her knees, slicing her pants and cutting her skin. There were sounds of a scuffle, and Bella looked up in time to see a the gun knocked from Marguerite's hand. In a flash of green and brown, Marguerite was down on the ground face first, yelling and kicking at her attacker.

Behind her, the door to the conference room burst open, and Bella saw half a dozen Preventors come rushing in, knocking Artigues to the ground and slapping a set of cuffs on him. Bella tried to stand, only to have sharp pains course through her shoulder and down her back and legs. There was too much for her to contend with, too much to take in and comprehend.

It was sensory overload.

And the last thing she remembered seeing was a pair of worried blue eyes, and a plait of brown hair that was long enough to drape over her rescuer's shoulder. She felt him reach under her and carefully lift her up.

"Hang on there, Belle." his voice said calmly. "I got you."

"Duo…"

* * *

The bright morning sunlight was what caused Bella to stir from her welcomed sleep. She tried to roll over and get comfortable, but between the lightning sharp pains in her shoulder and back, and the hard mattress she was resting on, there was no way she was going to get back to sleep. 

"What the hell happened…" she asked, sitting up slowly and reaching up with her good hand to grip her shoulder. She felt the thick bandages someone had wrapped around injured area. She looked around carefully, trying to figure out exactly where she was. It didn't take much to figure she was in a hospital, which one she didn't know precisely.

"Good to see you are awake, Bella." came a friendly voice from the doorway. "You had me worried there for a while." Bella looked over at the entrance into the room, seeing a very welcome sight. Duo Maxwell stood at her doorway, grinning from ear to ear and shaking his head in disbelief. He looked disheveled, hair falling out of his customary thick plait, the beginnings of circles under his eyes, and less color than she would have liked seeing on his normally bright face. But she was all the more relieved to see him.

"Duo?" she asked, shaking her head to try and clear the fuzzy feeling that was so prevalent. "What…how…"

"Take it easy, love." he said, giving her a gentle kiss before stepping back. "Let's get you something for that pain before you pop off with anymore questions." He stuck his head out and told someone that she was awake. A few minutes later, a lady doctor in a white lab coat came in, carrying a syringe of some sort of clear liquid.

"Glad to see you're finally awake, Ms. Saucier." she said. "My name is Dr. Deveraux; I've been watching over you since you were admitted into the hospital last night."

"What happened?" Bella asked, leaning back against the bed. "Where's Marguerite and Artigues?"

"I'll let your boyfriend answer that." Dr. Deveraux said. "For now, you just need to get plenty of rest right now and let that shoulder heal up."

"Thank you, doctor."

"Call me if you need me."

"Alright. Explain." Bella said, turning her attention to the very disheveled looking Preventor standing at her side after the doctor had left them alone. "I thought you were supposed to be in Brussels. And where is my sister and Artigues?"

"I thought I was too." he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Come to find out, the phone call I got from Une's office the other day was a phony."

"A phony?"

"Yep. In fact, it was placed right from Artigues' office." he said. "Anyhow, by the time I got back and went to Une to find out what my mission was, I found out that I wasn't expected back for another couple days. It didn't take long to figure out I'd been set up, so I jumped the first jet to get back here."

"Where's Marge?" Bella practically hissed.

"Preventor's custody." he said solemnly. "I had her and Artigues locked up until the city police could handle it."

"They can't do anything to her, Duo." Bella said sadly. "There's no hard evidence against her. The security cameras were off in the conference room. And unless you can provide some hard evidence, she'll pay her way out of the trial and get off. She and Artigues know enough crooked judges to get out of it."

"Oh yea of little faith." Duo grinned. "I took care of that. The cameras were running."

"But.."

"I got there just a few minutes before you did, actually." he admitted. "I reset the cameras and audio recordings for the room after your lawyer friend had turned them off."

"Why didn't you call me and give me a warning about this?" Bella asked grumpily. "Save me a hospital bill."

"I tried, about a hundred times." Duo retorted. "But you wouldn't pick up on your cell phone." Bella frowned, remembering she had misplaced the phone the day before, and hadn't been able to find it. Not the best time for her to get a case of forgetfulness to say the least.

"I lost it yesterday somewhere in the house." she said apologetically. "So you got everything?"

"Including when he shot at the Preventors waiting outside the room for you."

"They weren't hurt were they?" Bella hadn't even thought of the men she'd left outside the room. She prayed Preventor Asher and his men hadn't been injured in the chaos.

"Nah, your lawyer is a lousy shot." Duo said. "Just flesh wounds for the three of them, nothing serious. You okay, you look like you're about to pass out again."

"Just trying to absorb all this without losing my sanity." she glumly. "I can't believe she tried to kill me….again!"

"I'm just glad you weren't hurt too bad." Duo said. "Doc said you should be good to go in a few weeks. The bullet didn't hit any bones, but it did come damned close."

"I'm just glad you figured out what was going on." she said. "How'd you know, anyways?"

"Well, after I got back to Brussels, and found out that I wasn't due back for a while, I figured something was going on." he said. "I couldn't remember exactly when you said your appointment with Artigues was, but I knew it was Monday or Tuesday evening, so I called his office. The secretary said that you weren't on the books until Thursday. But she said it had to be a mistake because Artigues was scheduled to go on vacation starting Wednesday. I thought it was odd, so I dug around some more. I found that your sister had bought two one way tickets to Sydney a few weeks ago, scheduled to leave out early today."

"So they were gonna kill me and then hop a plane to Australia this morning?" Bella asked, completely incensed.

"That was the plan." he said. "As a lawyer, Artigues knew that getting extradition papers from the Australian government would be nearly impossible if they were indicted in your murder. He was covering his tracks."

"But how…"

"The one thing that tipped me off though was Marguerite's purchase of some bullets for that pistol she was manhandling when we broke into the place."

"How did you find out about that?" Bella asked. Not that she wasn't grateful, but Duo had to seriously invaded Marguerite's privacy to know all of this, not that she particularly cared at the moment.

"Preventor's secret." he said with a wink. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you. And I'm a better shot than those other two."

"Funny." she said dryly. Duo just snickered and smiled. "Don't worry, love. We got'em."

"It's just depressing, knowing that Marge was the one responsible for daddy and Rita." Bella said, shaking her head. "I knew she was cruel, but that's just inhumane!"

"Some people are just off their rocker." Duo said. He'd met plenty of them during the war. But even what Marguerite had done was inexcusable. To kill your own parents in cold blood…it was more than he could possibly fathom.

"No chance she's going to get off the hook with an insanity plea, is there?" Bella asked.

"After the judge hears that tape, no way. She admitted to not only your parents, but that Phillip guy. That's two counts of pre-meditated murder, not to mention the attempted murder of you! The only place she's goin' is the big house!"

"Excuse me, Ms. Saucier?" a nurse said, sticking her head into the room. "You have a call coming in from Preventor's headquarters in Brussels. We told them you were not able to accept calls at the time, but she insisted."

"It's probably Relena." Duo said, shrugging. "She said she would call to check up on you after I told her what happened. Your vice president guy called to. Told me to tell you to get better and come get the damned monkey off his back already. He said he'd prefer you being overworked than shot up any day!"

"Sounds like Daniel." Bella chuckled. "Would you put her through, please."

"Yes, ma'am." the nurse said, taking her leave quickly. The two lovers turned to the vid-screen that was on the wall of the small room, waiting for the call to come through.

Unfortunately, the person who came onto the screen was anyone but the former Queen of the World.

"Colonel Une?" Duo asked, looking at the vid-screen with a look of unpleasant surprise. He definitely didn't want to see her right now.

"Maxwell." she said sourly. "I hope you have a viable explanation why you hijacked a Preventor jet and re-routed it two thousand miles off course!"

* * *

_**A/N **- Okay, that's the latest chapter for your reading pleasure. Hope you enjoyed. Only two more chapters to go, and this little story will be all wrapped up._

_Until next time,_

_A.A._

_Oh, and please remember to review. I want to know what you think._


	19. Chapter 19

_**Disclaimer** - It's not mine. Never was. I don't own Gundam Wing, or any of the characters. I'm just borrowing them for a little while, so don't sue. _

_**A/N **- Hey, how's everyone doing out there? I hope you are well, and am glad to see that you are still reading this little ditty. _

_Just so you know, a **few weeks have passed **since the events in the last chapter. _

* * *

_Duo's Dilemma_

_Chapter 19_

_Back to Square One_

* * *

"I hate damned paperwork." Duo grumbled, shuffling the requisition forms from one pile to the next. He honestly didn't know why Une had him doing this. It always put him in a bad mood for hours afterwards.

Well, he knew why, and it had something to do with his commandeering the jet to get back to the States in time to stop Belladonna from being murdered in cold blood by her psycho sister.

But still, being put on paperwork duty was worse than anything else Une could have done to him. '_Which is probably why she done it.'_ he thought glumly, looking up as Heero entered into the office they shared at Preventor's headquarters.

He had been back in Europe for going on a five weeks after Belladonna had been released from the hospital, waiting for his the process of his transfer to the New Orleans Preventors branch to be validated. Une had made it plain that it was going to take some time before he could move since there were no open positions in the branch for someone of Duo's rank. The ex-Deathscythe pilot had offered to take a demotion if it would hurry the process up, but it hadn't helped. They did find out that one man would be leaving the office in six weeks, and Duo would be welcome to fill the gap

So here he was, five weeks later, filling out requisition forms on equipment for the training barracks and waiting any second for word on the transfer.

He had kept in touch with Belladonna daily, making sure she was okay, and that her shoulder was healing up nicely. The two weeks of bed rest Dr. Deveraux had ordered had been thrown out the window the second she walked out of that hospital. She had went back to work the next day, diving headlong into regaining her work from her vice-president.

The trial for Marguerite and Artigues had went through the courts quickly, and with no problems. Marguerite had been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole, and Artigues had gotten forty years for his part in the plot, with a possible parole after thirty years. The only consolation Duo had about the man's seemingly light sentence was that he probably wouldn't make it the thirty years in prison. Artigues was old already, heading on fifty. It was unlikely that he would make it to parole time, which was fine with Duo.

"You're looking glum." Heero commented, bringing Duo out of his reverie.

"You don't look so hot yourself, buddy." Duo commented, taking in the wearied look on his partner's face. "What's up?"

"The informant on the Kensington case was flushed out last night." the stoic pilot said.

"Is he okay?" Duo asked. He remembered the case, and the young Preventor who had been assigned to relay information from an informant back to headquarters.

"They put him in the hospital." Heero said. "Couple of broken ribs, a broke leg, two black eyes, and a concussion."

"Ouch." Duo winced. "You know who done it?"

"We have a good idea." Heero said.

"The informant wasn't caught, was she?"

"No."

"That's good." Duo said. "So you've got to come up with another relay. Shouldn't be too hard. Who does Une have stationed on L3?"

"No one I trust with something like this." Heero grumbled, he'd already looked through the roster of Preventors on the colonies. Most of them were young, not having the experience to pull of something like this.

The Kensington case had been going on since right after Preventors had been established. Apparently there were still a few stragglers left of the White Fang, the coalition group who had fought under Zechs' leadership at the end of the war, and were currently under the direction of Demetrius Kensington. It was rumored that they were secretly trying to rebuild the mobile suits used by OZ and Romefellar to start another revolution, hoping to sever the carefully wrought ties that had been established with the Earth and force the Earth Sphere United Nation to collapse.

It went without saying that if this got out of hand, there was going to be another war. And that was the last thing Heero wanted to have to face.

"I'd volunteer to go right now." Duo grumbled, stuffing the paperwork into a folder. "But Une's gunning for me right now. She won't let me off desk duty."

"It's your own fault." Heero mumbled, sliding the folder to the side of his desk. He'd dig up someone for the case by the end of the day, even if he had to go himself. '_Relena's not going to be happy if I have to go back to space.'_

"Well excuse me." Duo gripped. "If it had been Relena in that situation, you'd have done the same."

"Relena never would have been left alone long enough to get in that situation." Heero said coolly. Duo growled and got back to work. Her royal pain-in-the-ass Colonel wanted the requisition forms before it was time to leave for the day, and he really didn't need to piss her off more than she already was.

She may have gotten rid of the other personality hanging around in her head, but Duo swore it was still there and even crueler than before.

A short succession of beeps sounded on the screen in front of him, and Duo groaned in aggravation when Une's face came into focus.

"Maxwell, are you finished with those requisition forms yet?" she questioned.

"Almost." he said, biting back a short retort over what she could do with said forms.

"Bring them to my office, pronto."

"Now, Colonel?"

"No, tomorrow, Maxwell." she said. "Yes, now."

"Yes, ma'am." he said, cursing at the woman when the screen flickered off.

"Problems?" Heero asked, peering up from the computer screen.  
"Yeah, one anal retentive Colonel who won't leave me alone." Duo muttered, tossing on his jacket and retrieving the requisition forms. "You sure you can't knock her off for me, Heero. I pay real well."

"Not my line of work anymore." the young man said.

"Just my luck." Duo grumbled, slamming the door shut behind him. Heero just shook his head, letting a rare grin come out as he watched his partner stomp off towards the elevator that would take him to the floor Une's office was on. He reached over to the phone and dialed in Relena's personal office number.

"Hello?" she asked.

"He's on his way to Une's office as we speak." Heero grunted. He could hear Relena's light chuckle mixed in with another person's in the back ground.

"Thanks, Heero." Relena said. "I'll pass the message on. So, what do you want for lunch?"

"What?" he asked, looking at the phone as if it were Relena and she had just grown another head.

"Well, I just figured you'd want something to eat when I get down there." Relena said, the amusement high in her voice. "It's going to lunch and a show from what I can gather."

"Whatever." Heero said. "Une'll keep him busy for at least a half hour. Just make sure you're down here when you're supposed to be. If he keeps on whining about paperwork, I'm going to put him out of his misery."

"We'll be there." Relena said. "Just don't let him leave."

"Understood." Heero said.

"Thanks, Heero."

"Hn." was his only answer. If it wouldn't have been for Relena dragging him into this little ruse for Duo, he would have let the other pilot wallow in his misery. But since it was Relena, and Duo was his friend, he decided to play along.

After all, it was only fair that Heero get him back for the innumerous times Duo had pranked him in the past.

* * *

"What do you mean my transfer was declined!" Duo barked, his hands planted firmly on Une's desk. This was ridiculous, and he was seething.

"Just what I said, Maxwell." Colonel Une's cold voice said smoothly. "The Board of Directors vetoed your transfer based on your recent behavior…"

"My recent behavior kept an innocent woman from being killed!" he yelled.

"Be that as it may, the transfer will not be authorized." she said.

"You're head of the Board! Can't you make them pass it?" Duo asked angrily.

"I can't if I am outnumbered." she said. "There's nothing I can do, Maxwell. Not that it would make any difference in the end anyhow."

"What?"

"I received word from the New Orleans branch that the Preventor who was supposed to go at the end of the month changed his mind. He's not going anywhere. Which means no open spot for you to go into."

"This is ridiculous!" Duo said, beyond pissed. He'd been banking everything on this transfer to the other branch. Hell, he had even started packing his stuff up to ship over to Bella's house until he could get there and find a place to stay.

"I'm sorry, Maxwell." Une said. "But my hands are tied. There's nothing I can do."

"Of all the stupid, idiotic, pain in the ass, morons…."

"Lieutenant Maxwell!" Une yelled, calling the young man to attention. Duo quit his ranting and looked up at his superior. "I will not have such language in my office. Now get out!"

"Yes, ma'am." he said stiffly, turning and leaving the office with a not so gentle slam of the door. Une heaved a sigh of relief and reached over to her desk phone, dialing a number she had become increasingly familiar with over the past few weeks.

"Hello?"

"He's on his way back down." Une said. "And none to happy."

"I'll take care of it, Colonel."

"See that you do."

"Thank you, Anne."

"If it wasn't for the simple fact you are now one of this organizations silent backers, I would never have agreed to this."

"Money talks, doesn't it?"

"Indeed." Une said. "Now get Maxwell off the warpath and tell him to finish those requisition forms."

"Yes ma'am."

Une shut the phone off and shook her head. Leave it to one of the Gundam pilots to cause this much chaos over something as simple as a transfer.

* * *

By the time Duo got down the half dozen flights of stairs and back to his office, he had cooled down a little, but not nearly enough. He flopped down in his chair and crossed his arms petulantly. This was definitely not what he had planned on happening. '_You'd figure the Board of Directors would be wanting to get rid of me after I took that jet.' _he thought acidly.

"Problems?" Heero asked, not looking up from his computer screen. Duo watched as his partner continued working on as if nothing had occurred. Sometimes he envied Heero's ability to focus solely on the matter at hand.

"My transfer was denied." Duo groused.

"You don't say." Heero asked, a slight hint of sarcasm coming across. "What were you expecting, a farewell party?"

"Thanks for the sympathetic ear." he said crossly. Leave it to Heero to be annoyingly straight to the point when he didn't feel like hearing it. "What you doing?"

"Looking for someone to put on the Kensington case." Heero said. Duo got up and walked to his partner's desk, looking down at a familiar face with gravity defying hair…temporarily forgetting his own problems with Belladonna.

"Trowa?" he asked. "You're gonna put him on as the relay? But he's off active duty with Preventors. He's been working with his sister Catherine in the circus for the past few years."

"He's the best choice." Heero said. "The informant has worked with Catherine before, choreographing shows for the circus performances. At least he'll have a lead to get to her since they've worked before. It'll be easier than having to throw someone new into the mess that is liable to stir up suspicions."

"Question is, will he do it?" Duo asked. "Last I heard he was busy helping Catherine run the place. Does he even know she's an informant?"

"Doubt it." Heero said. "But he'll do it."

"If you say so, buddy." Duo said. "You want me to give him a call."

"I'll do it later." Heero said.

"Suit yourself." Duo shrugged, flopping back down in his rolling chair. He pulled the rest of the forms off the top of the pile and began to read over them, but his brain wasn't comprehending any of the mumbo-jumbo.

He found himself wondering what Bella's reaction would be when she found out he wasn't going to be transferred to the States. She wouldn't be happy about it, he knew that. But he also knew that she wouldn't want him to quit his job and just move over there on his own, which was something he was seriously on the verge of doing. A good half hour passed, and he still couldn't figure out a way to get back to her that didn't result in him quitting Preventors. He was about to just give up and call Bella to tell her the bad news when his cell phone rang, breaking him out of his self-induced zone. Duo fished the phone out of his jacket and checked the number.

It was Belladonna.

'_Someone up there is laughing at me right now.' _he thought morosely. '_I hope they choke on it!'_

He didn't want to talk to her right now, at least not until he could come up with an excuse to why the transfer fell through. He hit the ringer volume button on the phone, letting it vibrate on the top of his desk. When it stopped, Heero finally looked up from his work and frowned.

"You might as well tell her." he said. "She's going to find out sooner or later."

"Yeah, I know. It just sucks, man. We had all this planned out already, and now it falls through."

"What you planning on doing about it?" Heero asked.

"I honestly don't know." the disgruntled ex-pilot answered. "Bella's not going to be happy, that's for damned sure."

"I'm sure she'll understand." Heero said.

"I hope so." Duo said, reclining back into his chair. On his desk, his vid-cam beeped once, letting him know of an in incoming call. He reached up and flipped it on, groaning when Belladonna's smiling face came into view.

"Hey, Duo. What's going on?"

"Nothing." he said. "What're you doing?"

"Just checking in." she said. "I had a few extra minutes and figured I'd give you a call. Something wrong? You look depressed."

"I've got some bad news for you, love." Duo said, catching Heero's insistent look over the top of the computer screen.

"Oh, what's wrong?"

"My transfer to the New Orleans branch was denied." Duo said. "I'm sorry, Bella."

"Oh…" she said glumly. "Did they say why?"

"It had something to do with previous conduct while on duty." Duo grimaced.

"You mean the jet you took control of to get back?" she asked, casting him a you-knew-better-than-that look that reminded him too much of Sister Helen's reproachful looks he'd gotten as a child at Maxwell Church. Bella had not been happy to find out that he had took over the Preventor jet en route to the Texas base for delivery, especially after she'd heard Une chew him out for it. Of course, she was thankful he had been there, but she wasn't happy that he'd been on the verge of being court marshaled because of it.

Duo doubted if he'd ever understand women and their double edged sense of right and wrong.

"Yeah, something like that."

"Duo, I'm sorry." Bella said, her somber face showing her disappointment plainly. "They won't let you go because of what you did to get back to me."

"It's okay, love." he said. "I'll figure something out. So, anyway, on to more pleasant thoughts. What're you doing?"

"Getting lunch." she answered, holding up two large bags of take out Chinese to prove her point.

"You trying to feed the whole building?" Duo asked. "That's enough to feed a small army!"

"Yeah, well…" she said, shrugging. "We got a few extras in office today. You know, gotta keep them fed so they'll work. You eat lunch yet?"

"Not yet. Une's had me up to my neck in paperwork the entire day." he groused. "If I have to fill out another worthless requisition form, I'm going to requisition her to a nice, padded room!"

"Well, it's a good thing I bought extra." she quipped, laughing at his discomfort.

"Thanks for the thought, but I don't think airmail will get it here in time for me to eat for lunch." he said.

"Well, how about if I hand deliver it?" she asked, smiling broadly.

"That would be nice." Duo said, grinning broadly at the thought. "Oh, and don't forget the soy sauce. You can't have Chinese food without plenty of soy sauce, right."

"Well then, you'll be happy to know that I brought a whole bottle just for you." Bella said. Duo was about to jab back with another smart comment to keep up the banter, but a knock at the door to the office made his attention swerve behind him. He fell out of his chair and came into close, painful contact with the tiled floor when he caught sight of who was standing at the door. The pile of requisition papers he had been working on fluttered down on top of his head, then down to the floor, encircling him in paperwork.

"Belladonna! What the hell are you doing here!"

* * *

_**A/N **-Didn't see that one coming, did you? Anyhow, I'm off to finish up the last chapter of this little story. Hope you enjoyed this one, and the next is coming up soon._

_Until next time,_

_A.A._

_**P.S. **Don't forget to review, I'd like to know what you are thinking._


	20. Chapter 20

_**Disclaimer **- It's not mine. Never was. Only one I own is Belladonna._

_**A/N **- I hope you guys have enjoyed this little ditty. It's been a kick writing it. So, without further ado, I give you the final chapter:_

_

* * *

__Duo's Dilemma_

_Chapter 20_

_Fortune Cookie Fortunes_

_

* * *

_ "Finally, something to eat." Heero commented, getting up to open the office door and let a smirking Belladonna and a grinning Relena into the office. He completely ignored Duo sitting on the floor gaping like a fish out of water. _'Yeah, this was worth it just to see his face.'_ he though evilly. 

"Hello, Preventor Yuy." Bella said amicably, nodding. "I believe this bag is yours and Relena's. Extra rice, just how you like it, or so I've been told."

"We even brought drinks." Relena said, setting down the drinks she had gotten out of the vending machines in the hallway. "Hope you guys are hungry." Belladonna calmly sat the bags down on his desk, pulling out half a dozen cartons of the fast food.

"You gonna stay down there looking confused, or you gonna get up here and have lunch with us, Preventor Maxwell?" she asked, smiling down at the dumbfounded look on her lover's face.

"What…."

"Quit blabbering and get up already." Heero said, taking a carton of fried rice Relena was offering. "The food's getting cold."

Duo shook off his temporary shock and stood up, reaching around to grab his rolling chair that was not in the same place it had been when he fell out of it.

"What are you doing here, Bella?" he asked.

"I can't stop by to say hello and bring you lunch?" she asked, faking a hurt expression. "Next time I won't bother."

"No, that's not what I meant." Duo said. "What are you doing here? Now?"

"A little bird told me a month ago that Preventors needed some financial backing for a few of their upcoming projects." she said. "I had some business to attend to here, and figured I'd stop by and have a talk with Colonel Une about any assistance I could offer."

"Business?" Duo asked. "What kinda business?" Bella smiled and tossed a newspaper his way. Duo caught it and looked at the headlines.

'**_Saucier Corporation Opens New HQ in Downtown Brussels.' _**

"You're joking?" he asked, looking up at her where she had perched herself on his desk, legs crossed and twisting some noodles around a pair of chopsticks.

"Not at all." she smirked. "Keep reading."

'_Saucier Corp., a large company that up until this point has specialized in deep space mining and exploration, will be opening a new headquarters in the central business district of downtown Brussels. Belladonna Saucier, founder and head C.E.O. of the company, will be personally overseeing the foundation work within the office space. When asked what brought her company to Europe, Ms. Saucier simply replied that she had a 'vested interest in the area, and was looking forward to the expansion of her company to the surrounding city.''_

Duo put the paper down, not even bothering to finish the rest of the article. How in the hell had he missed this? Why hadn't she told him she was coming here? And better yet, how the flying hell had he not noticed that the new building for her company was going up right across the damned street from Preventor Headquarters!

"Is this some kind of joke?" Duo asked, watching Bella's calm face.

"Not a joke at all." Relena said, smiling. "Belladonna is now a silent partner is the projects Preventors will be beginning in a few short weeks in outer space. You really should read the paper more often, and I mean something besides the comics"

"Looks like that transfer they didn't give you was a good thing." Bella said, handing him a cold drink. Duo drank half of the can in one gulp and regarded her with an air of suspicion. She seemed too happy about this, utterly too pleased with herself for this just to be just a coincidence in timing.

"Wait a minute…" he said, finally clicking all the pieces into place. "You…you told Une to revoke the transfer! And you, Heero, you knew about this, didn't you!"

"Maybe." Heero answered, his poker face in place, despite Relena's broad grin behind him.

"Guilty as charged." Bella said with a grin. "It was supposed to be a surprise. You're not mad are you?"

"Hell no!" Duo said, grinning and enveloping her in a hug, almost crushing the carton of noodles between the two of them.

"We're just gonna leave you two alone." Relena said, winking at Duo and forcibly pulling Heero out of the office, but not before he grabbed their shared bag of take out. "I'm sure you've got lots to talk about. Come on, Heero."

"Hn." the Preventor said, following the Vice-Foreign Minister out of the small office.

"So, you're really not mad at me?" she asked plaintively.

"Of course not." Duo grinned, dropping a quick kiss onto her forehead. "I just wish you'd have told me sooner. It would have saved me a lot of trouble in getting things packed up."

"Well, it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if I'd told you." she said. "Besides, you needed something to cheer you up after what Une put you through earlier. Sorry about that, by the way."

"It's okay. But I just want her to know she's not getting the rest of these forms until tomorrow." he said, kicking at one of the stray sheets of paper on the ground.

"I think she'll let you slide." Bella said.

"So, you got a place to stay while you're here?" Duo asked.

"Yeah, my dad's summer right outside of town. It's a half hour drive there and back everyday, but it's okay. Traffic's not nearly as bad here as it was back home."

"How long you gonna be here?"

"As long as it takes. I left Daniel and Corey in charge of things in the States so I could focus on getting this place up and running." she explained.

"So how long?"

"I don't know. A couple months. Maybe a couple years." she shrugged.

"Depends on how long your '_vested interest' _remains?" Duo asked.

"Something like that." she said. "I know you're a peeved at me for interfering with your transfer. But I really didn't see a point in you being sent to the States while I took the job here."

"Smart lady." he said, holding her closely. It felt good to have her back near him. He'd missed her greatly during the time they had spent apart. Having her so near him again was like getting a breath of fresh air.

Duo could honestly say he was head over heels in love with her.

Bella laid her head on his shoulder, her arms wrapped loosely around his waist, and his around hers. She had missed him since he'd been forced to come back to Europe for his job. Just being around him gave her a sense of peace, a sense of belonging to someone who truly cared about her.

She couldn't explain how she felt, because she'd never experienced it before…even when she had been with Joseph. Joseph had given her a sense of stability, a sense that he cared about her. Duo done the same, only her feelings ran so much deeper for him. She'd worried incessantly over him when he'd left. Whether he'd gotten enough to eat, whether he'd gotten enough rest. An unknown side of nurturing had come forth with Duo, something that had never really shown its head with Joseph, and only really come out with the children at the orphanage.

And she wanted more than anything to see him happy, which was one reason in her movement to make her company an international focus. She had her ties to New Orleans, but it wasn't really where her heart was. Should the truth be told, her home was really on the L2 colony cluster, where she had spent so much time as a child, as was Duo's childhood.

It was eye opening to say the least, to want to be around him so much that it hurt. She didn't know what to do, so she just went with what she felt was right. It was all she could really do.

She was jerked out of her reverie when she felt Duo's hands land on her butt, squeezing hard enough to get a jump out of her. She reached back and slapped his hand away, giving him a mock frown.

"Not now, Casanova. You're still on the clock." Bella said, grinning wolfishly at him. "And I've got work to do myself."

"Spoil sport."

"Slacker." she teased, ruffling his hair affectionately. "Hey, did you open your fortune cookie?"

"Nah. I don't believe in those things."

"Me neither, but they are fun to read."

"I guess."

"Here, open yours." she said, handing him a small fortune cookie wrapped in plastic. He watched as she opened her own, reading over the little slip of paper, a grin on her face. He looked down at his own, frowning. He never did understand those things, and never really saw any point in reading them.

'**_If heaven made you, earth can find some use for you, no matter how mundane it may be.'_**

'_Why does that sound like Wufei?_' he thought. '_But hey, whatever works for ya.'_

"What's your say?" he asked, peering over Belladonna's shoulder. "I hope yours makes more sense than mine."

'**_You can't expect both ends of a sugar cane are as sweet.' _**

"Well, that makes a little more sense." Duo said, scanning over the words again. "Mine sounds like Wuffie. Besides, that just goes to prove what I knew all along about you."

"What?" she asked, confused by his logic.

"You're not as nice and sweet and innocent as you'd like everyone to think." Duo snickered, watching as the color ran high in her cheeks.

"I never said I was." she countered, picking up his fortune. "That does kinda sound like that anal retentive China-man, though. Where is he anyway? I was hoping I'd get to piss him off a little while I was here."

"He's with Sally in the office they share." Duo said. If she wanted to see Wufei, he'd take her, just not right then. His plans centered on getting the hell out of headquarters right then.

Besides, he knocked off at five anyway. And it was already almost one o'clock. Une wouldn't know the difference as long as Princess kept Heero busy for a few hours. Besides, she could threaten him with a year's work of desk duty and he really couldn't give a flip right then.

"No joke though, how long are you going to be here."

"Long enough to get my claws far enough into what I want, so it won't get away." she said, hugging him.

"And do you always get what you want, madam C.E.O.?"

"Always." she smiled, tugging playfully on his braid. "Puts you in quite a dilemma, doesn't it Mr. Maxwell. Quite a dilemma indeed. Think you can handle me working right across the street from you?"

"Well, my lunch breaks will certainly be a bit more interesting now." he smirked, causing Bella to blush.

"Duo Maxwell! You're impossible!"

"Sure am." he grinned. "But you love me anyways" Bella just smiled and pulled him in for a kiss that left them both breathless.

"Yeah, I guess I love you, huh?" she said.

"Of course you do. Now let's get out of here before Une comes hunting me down for those papers." he said, grabbing his jacket and the bag of food. "I can think of a million different places I'd rather be right now that stuffed up in this office with such a beautiful lady as yourself." He stopped short on that, then grinned over at Belladonna, who was shaking her head. That skirt she had on was awful short….. "On second thought…"

"Don't even think about it, mister." she said, pushing him towards the door. "We are not doing that on top of your desk."

"But…." Duo protested.

"What if Heero were to walk in here?"

"I'd tell him to go to Relena's office cause this one's in use?" Duo asked innocently. Bella just smiled and pushed him out of the office, listening to his whining the whole way to the elevator.

Yes, she was in love, and she knew it. She had no idea what the future would hold for her, but she did know that she wanted Duo by her side for as long as he was willing to stay there. There was still a large amount of hurt in her heart from her sister's betrayal, and the murder of her father and stepmother, but she knew she could overcome it in time. And she knew Duo would make it as easy for her as he could. She just needed to borrow his strength for a while until she could get her own back.

Belladonna needed him, and that didn't scare her as much as she had originally thought it would.

She leaned her head on his shoulder as the elevator slowly made it's way to the first floor.

"You know what, Bella?" he asked.

"What?"

"You're one dilemma I won't mind being in." he said cheekily. Bella smiled at his attempted humor and began dragging him down the road towards a park area she had seen on her way down. After all, it was a beautiful day and she was with the man she loved. To her, there was no better place to possibly be right now than right where she was at.

* * *

_**A/N **- Okay, finally, it's done. I hope you all enjoyed the story. It was a blast writing it. I was thinking about doing a third story in this little arc, this time concerning our favorite acrobat Trowa Barton. What do you think? Anyone want to see what kind of trouble I can get him into? _

_Anyway, please leave your thoughts on the story, as I'd love to hear them. And I would really appreciate it if you pointed out what you liked the best about the story and what you felt I could improved on, should you leave a review._

_Until next time,_

_A.A._

_1/11/06_


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